22 Jun 2006
Hinojosa: Funding Cuts Have Presented Challenges, Priorities Have Remained on Students, Teachers
DALLAS—Dallas Independent School District Trustees Thursday approved a $1.082 billion balanced budget that includes pay increases for employees and prioritizes spending in areas focused on the needs of the district's 162,000 students.
"We have proposed a budget that is balanced, that focuses on the needs of our students, and that provides our employees with additional compensation," Hinojosa said. "While we have been faced with the difficulties of the financing of our public school system statewide, we think we have proposed a budget that is wise, fiscally sound, and tells the taxpayers that we are acting responsibly when it comes to spending tax dollars for our schoolchildren."
The 2006-07 budget increases from $1.027 billion in 2005-06 to $1.082 billion, an actual increase of $55.3 million.
The approved budget provides all DISD teachers with a step increase plus $2,500 in pay, sets the starting salary with a bachelor's degree at $42,000 and means an average increase in pay of 8.76 percent and/or $4,122. It also is being recommended that the district's longevity plan for teachers remain in place.
Support staff employees also will receive a step increase plus 3 percent, while those over the maximum level in their pay grade will receive a 2 percent increase.
Principals in the district will receive a 5.5 percent increase and their workday calendar is being extended from 217 to 226 days. Assistant and associate principals will receive a 5 percent increase and those who are over the maximum level in their pay grade will receive a 1.5 percent increase.
Central and technical staff will receive a 4.25 percent increase under the plan, while those who are in this category and already make more than the maximum level in their pay grade will receive a 1.5 percent increase.
A total of 85 percent of the budget will be spent on salaries and benefits for the almost 20,000 employees of the district. The compensation increase will cost about $66.3 million with $58.9 million coming from the general operating fund.
The district also will spend about $6.3 million to reduce class sizes for core academic teachers in Dallas ISD high schools. A total of 3.9 million will be spent to expand the district's Pre-K program, while another $2.97 million will be spent on additional elementary fine arts teachers.
To continue with the district's police transition plan, an additional $1.5 million will be spent on safety and policing.
More than $9.5 million in cost-saving measures were enacted in the budget, including $1.7 for administrative reorganization and a $1.5 million change in the district's car allowance policy.
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