Dear Spring Branch ISD Families, Staff and Community,

In recent months, the SBISD Board of Trustees and district administration have taken action on the first two phases of reductions to close the district’s $35 million general fund budget gap for the 2024-25 school year. Totaling a projected $12.5 million in savings, these budget reductions include, but are not limited to, closure of two schools, discontinuation of the SKY partnership with YES Prep Public Schools and KIPP Texas, Inc., change in secondary staffing ratios and alignment of schedules, increase in pre-K tuition for non-employees, and restructure of the SPIRAL gifted and talented program.

Reminder of previous budget reductions and one-time use of fund balance

Knowing that federal ESSER dollars were one-time funds to help with post-pandemic learning loss and business continuity, over the past two years SBISD has reduced yearly costs by $22 million in ESSER federally funded positions and programs. In August 2023, central office leaders identified an additional $3.5 million in general fund recurring expense reductions that were taken immediately to help our bottom line.

As a further reminder, our current year budget includes the projected one-time use of $36.5 million of fund balance to maintain for this year district programs, services and jobs that, unfortunately, will be impacted going forward. We budgeted for this one-time significant use of fund balance anticipating the 88th Legislature would act to adequately fund public education, given the state’s record high $33 billion budget surplus and no additional funding for public education since 2019. The district’s fund balance does not replenish – once spent, those funds are gone.

Hope is not a strategy

With the 88th Legislative Session and four special sessions concluded and no movement for Governor Abbott to call a fifth special session to address the educational funding challenges of Texas public school districts, we must act now. We can no longer wait and hope for funding, as some in our community have suggested.

Announcing Phase III Budget Reductions

Today, I am writing to share the Phase III general fund reductions for which impacted staff have been notified in recent days. As you will see in the outline below, these are largely central office budget cuts and personnel and program model changes. We have done everything we can to minimize direct impact on our classrooms and student learning. However, with the magnitude of reductions and adjustments required, all schools will be impacted.

Summary of Phase I, II and III Budget Reductions for 2024-25 school year

As I have shared many times, SBISD learned through the 2011 budget cuts that fully eliminating services and supports has both a short-term and a long-term impact on the system and on student achievement. Thus, we have aimed to make budget decisions to address our general fund budget shortfall, without fully eliminating impacted services.

I wish to thank all of our dedicated staff members who received difficult news about their positions, careers and livelihoods this week. As valued and important members of the Spring Branch Family, we have informed them at this early point in the spring semester to provide maximum opportunities for them to find other roles in the system or beyond.  We remain dedicated to our students and each other, and together we will ensure a strong spring semester for Every Child.

These difficult budget decisions are the result of the inaction of our state leaders who have prioritized education savings accounts (vouchers) over funding for public education. SBISD is not alone – districts across the state are announcing budget shortfalls and are being forced to make difficult cuts, just like us.

This is a very difficult time for the Spring Branch Family. We thank you for your support, understanding and continued engagement as we pledge to continue to advocate for our state leaders to #fullyfundSBISD. Your children remain our bottom line.