Trustees approve $5.4M budget

Clarendon ISD Trustees approve a $5.4 million budget last Tuesday, August 30, reflecting a loss of more than $400,000 in state funds.

Superintendent Monty Hysinger said the new budget is about eight percent less than the current budget, and he said falling enrollment is hurting the school district in addition to general education cuts by the state.

CISD also lost more than $100,000 in federal stimulus money which expired.

“We were at 533 two years ago and at 503 at the end of the school year this year,”
Hysinger said. “Today [Sept. 5] we’re at 488.”

Hysinger said he thinks the economy and demographics are behind the falling enrollment.

“We lost a large senior class, and our lower grades are tending to be smaller,” he
said. “I think it’s a sign of the economy and the times as people have to look for work elsewhere.”

Hysinger said enrollments in Claude and Memphis are up but many districts are down.
To deal with the loss of funds, the school reduced 6½ positions and tightened its belt wherever possible.

Looking to next year, Hysinger says the school will lose another $127,000 in expiring federal funds and state funds will be cut by another $100,000 to $150,000 depending on enrollment.

Trustees adopted the same tax rate as last year, $1.04 per $100 valuation, but that is legally the highest the district can have without going to the voters.

“We’ve had that rate the last four years,” Hysinger said. “We plan to work like crazy to stay at $1.04 next year and see what the legislature does [in 2013]. If we don’t get some relief, we may have to ask the voters for some support.”

Hysinger said he believes the case can be made that Clarendon ISD is being prudent with its funds while still being progressive with some programs – such as the school’s laptop computer initiative – and working hard to maintain its facilities.

“We’re positioned as good as we can be,” Hysinger said.