[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6668960,"mediaKeyId","2215974-7a4eb8b1fed66f03d0d24820949bfde3","parentId",2215974,"title","Rockwall ISD projects multimillion‑dollar shortfall; trustees weigh phased cuts and revenue steps","audioSeconds",2452,"startMs",3688000,"endMs",6140000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2215974-7a4eb8b1fed66f03d0d24820949bfde3&start=3688&end=6140","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2215974-7a4eb8b1fed66f03d0d24820949bfde3/thumbnail_3688000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6668960/Texas/Rockwall-ISD-projects-multimilliondollar-shortfall-trustees-weigh-phased-cuts-and-revenue-steps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6668960-70e08ac1c14837cb2f34a412bdca76b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149518&Signature=CNjOSV8-fTWjDnRVXArVTrbDMKykEPYPtgkZnvhTOK6zDSnC6VP2vqWzwLjPk8i5ZnNBJyoUUhMQz2C-Qcu9SV2RIkdL5hDZIP7T6LvTF66gLA0ePw1qEY1R8hcO-CoAijb37sDEWD0JsnwN7dmxDdsSO1ryB0MrNsefAxcT00Qy~a7m0ckbPih5BjcyWSGezo046nURZRZcnzyLMMV7qhFfSx1mdKCxPk01T6l8VFtyXOjJIy5byMn6NwgkCcWz2WMnJMMnsQ70ivQsKvJUxX9hFV~sNeKP-AZZQB1B3811GHK0nKy-X3ksV0YesPqbfZC3ceZQoDVvSkr1ubBZxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Rockwall ISD","date","2025-02-03T00:00:00Z","article","Rockwall ISD finance staff told trustees that, absent significant changes from the Texas Legislature, the district faces a multi‑million‑dollar budget gap and must consider phased reductions aimed at protecting students and staff.

David Carter, the district finance presenter, said the starting forecast assumes no significant change to the state’s basic allotment and includes enrollment growth that will add some revenue but also additional operating costs. He reported a projected $13 million budget deficit for the upcoming year, on top of an ongoing current‑year deficit the district estimates near $15 million; combined, the district could use roughly $33 million of reserves over three years under the baseline scenario presented.

Carter said Rockwall ISD ended the previous fiscal year with about $76.6 million in fund balance and an informal reserve target of roughly 30% (about $56 million). After accounting for required assignments and one‑time uses, he said the district would be roughly $14 million short of that 30% target if no corrective steps are taken.

Trustees and staff discussed options intended to limit personnel cuts in year one. Carter outlined a multi‑phase strategy that prioritizes nonpersonnel savings first — for example, consolidating summer‑school sites, adjusting cleaning schedules, scrutinizing technology subscriptions, modest fee increases for athletics and child‑care programs, and route efficiencies for transportation. He said those steps could yield about $6.5 million (roughly 3.5% of the budget) in savings, but cautioned many of those measures are one‑time or limited and would not close the full deficit permanently.

If the Legislature does not increase the basic allotment meaningfully, Carter said later phases could include attrition‐based personnel reductions, administrative adjustments, and more impactful program cuts. “If the legislature doesn’t change the basic allotment, then our budget deficit is gonna keep getting worse,” one trustee said. Another trustee asked staff to be candid about the programs and campuses that would be affected should deeper cuts be necessary.

Board members also discussed teacher pay and staffing. Carter and trustees said the district has increased teacher pay over the past four years (more than 15% total) and paid one‑time retention incentives, but statewide teacher pay and turnover remain challenges. The district’s turnover rate was reported near 19% last year; staff noted that a large share of new teachers statewide are alternatively or emergency-certified, and that competitive pay is needed to retain experienced teachers.

Special education funding was flagged as a priority. Carter cited statewide findings that special education remains underfunded by billions; district trustees listed fully funding special education and career‑technical education as legislative priorities.

Trustees asked for additional, detailed modeling and for a timetable. Staff said they will return with a more specific reduction package and sample compensation plans in March and April, with potential board action on compensation in April.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Rockwall ISD - Special Board of Trustees - Feb 03, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Rockwall ISD finance staff presented a multi‑year forecast showing a projected $13 million structural deficit for the coming year and a current-year $15 million shortfall. The district plans phased reductions focused first on nonpersonnel savings and will present compensation and reduction scenarios to the board in coming months.","taxTitle","ROCKWALL ISD, School Districts, Texas","taxId",14327,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6668963,"Consultant warns universal ESAs would shift state and local dollars away from Rockwall ISD",746,1625000,2371000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2215974-7a4eb8b1fed66f03d0d24820949bfde3&start=1625&end=2371","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2215974-7a4eb8b1fed66f03d0d24820949bfde3/thumbnail_1625000.jpg","/articles/6668963/Texas/Consultant-warns-universal-ESAs-would-shift-state-and-local-dollars-away-from-Rockwall-ISD","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6668963-7c32d1e08ebeeaeda1a149060d229b7e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149518&Signature=KMZErJIlNBNCWdE3ealESRuMJkns9dZirl7jE5kmiK57Qa57yMZI9hwsUqyv2E0vkYonKmnHq~Gnpm9YlyIFXqMPWsdm3l7VkWH~YOOWgz6UAk4-v0PLVeSVWLi-5NTRFzGEAe7owPSXp2JvzfBq3AEnX~XQHakslYW7sLYGqGv~HGb3qvOoMrerCyOlFgQjgpSBftBaBruV9c6FC3id4t8E13ttHRwgsBVpvQHVv-FBzQv~aNJwj0V8Lq5NqOdAb1n7H8OlddRAosYNWd~Q~azstJvJ0oE5Cq5pji6TUTPXdcXC~wdCw91Motl8R~6up4kokYfBkOpNzGS1vGVFgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Rockwall ISD “team of 8” workshop, consultant Doug Williams told trustees that proposals for universal education savings accounts being discussed in the Texas Legislature could pull state and local funding away from public schools and toward private and home-school providers.

Williams, a retired Sunnyvale superintendent advising the district, said early budget drafts in both chambers include money for ESAs and that a $1 billion appropriation would fund roughly 92,000 $10,000 accounts after administrative fees — enough to draw private- and home-schooled students into the program as well as public-school families.

That matters, Williams and board members said, because Texas school funding depends on average daily attendance and other factors that follow students into the public system. “DSA programs are not gonna hurt schools. Schools will see a loss in average daily attendance for every student leaving within ESA,” Williams said. He estimated a 3% loss of students to ESAs could reduce Rockwall ISD revenue by approximately $3.8 million.

Williams reviewed research and examples he said legislators are using to draft Texas policy. He described Arizona’s universal debit-card–style ESA program as a model under consideration and cited studies showing higher takeup of ESAs among higher-income households in Arizona. “What you’re looking at here is… the more money that the parents make, the more likely they are to receive the ESA,” Williams said, summarizing a chart in his slides.

Board members and staff questioned how an ESA would be administered, who would qualify, and whether the program would include accountability and protections for students with disabilities. Williams said draft proposals discussed at the Capitol included prioritization for low-income students and students with disabilities, but he and Rockwall ISD staff warned that private providers are not uniformly equipped to serve students with severe special needs. He used a personal example: his daughter, a former student with significant needs, “probably would not have had that access” in some private settings.

Rockwall ISD staff and trustees also raised the constitutional and fiscal questions the district faces if ESAs use property-tax–derived funds. Williams and David Carter, the district’s budget presenter, noted that state recapture and the Texas Constitution’s Article VII create legal and political complications if property-tax money collected locally is redirected to private education. Carter added that fiscal notes accompanying Senate Bill 2 estimate the program could grow in future biennia and expand beyond initial caps, increasing long‑term costs to the state.

Trustees asked procedural questions about caps and administration. Williams said one draft included a $1 billion cap for the initial program and that after administrative fees roughly $920 million remained for grants, translating to an initial allotment of roughly 92,000 $10,000 ESAs; he also said special‑needs students could receive higher amounts (for example, $11,500 under some drafts). He warned the appropriation could escalate quickly if the program were expanded to children already outside the public system.

Williams and staff stressed accountability provisions if the Legislature moves forward: verification of eligible expenses, auditing of vendor administrators, equal access for students with disabilities, and clear rules for return to public school. “If state funds are being spent to educate students in private education, how will we know that those funds are being well spent?” Williams asked the trustees.

The district did not take a formal position at the meeting; trustees said they would continue to monitor legislation and provide information to the community. Williams and staff recommended the board watch draft language for caps, eligibility rules, and accountability and prepare for fiscal scenarios in which the ESA program reduces average daily attendance and state formula revenues.

The board scheduled further briefings and public information sessions and said staff would continue completing financial modeling as bills move through committee and to the floors of the Texas House and Senate.","At a Rockwall ISD \"team of 8\" workshop, consultant Doug Williams and board members examined proposed Texas education savings accounts (ESAs), with presenters saying a universal ESA program could reduce public-school funding, shift property-tax–derived dollars to private schools and prompt legal or political challenges.","actionData","errors"]

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Rockwall ISD projects multimillion‑dollar shortfall; trustees weigh phased cuts and revenue steps

Consultant warns universal ESAs would shift state and local dollars away from Rockwall ISD