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Laredo ISD finance update: $23.5M May disbursements, carryovers and frozen federal funds raise staffing and program questions
Summary
Finance staff reported $23.5 million in May disbursements and outlined carryover balances for Title I and special education. Trustees pressed administrators about frozen federal funds, potential use of carryovers, and plans for sensory rooms, accessible playgrounds and ADA transport vehicles.
Finance staff told the Laredo ISD Board's Business and Support Services Committee on July 15 that the district's cash disbursements for May totaled $23.5 million, including about $16 million for payroll and $7.3 million for goods and services.
Diana Ayala, identified in the meeting as the district finance presenter, said unaudited year-to-date revenues were about $211.5 million, roughly $1.7 million lower than the same period last year primarily because of decreased interest earnings. The tax collection summary reported $34.4 million in July-to-May collections, or 93.46% of the budgeted levy, Ayala said.
Trustees spent substantial time reviewing federal carryover balances after administration said some federal program funds were temporarily frozen. Ayala and other finance staff said Title I had about $4.3 million in remaining funds, and special education showed approximately $2.2 million in rollforward or carryover. Administration said some federal funds affecting Title 2 and Title 3 programs were frozen and that the district was planning to use carryover funds if needed through September 30, when current grant spending authority typically ends.
Special education director remarks to the board and later exchanges with trustees focused on how rollforward funds are typically used in the spring for equipment, assessments and services that cannot be purchased during the previous fall because of timing. Trustees urged the district to prioritize assistive communication devices, sensory-room equipment, and accessible playgrounds for students with disabilities. Admin staff said high-school sensory-room orders are already standardized and scheduled; training for teachers is planned.
Trustees and staff also discussed transportation needs for students with mobility needs. A trustee suggested the district explore Federal Transit Administration grant opportunities and local cooperative procurement to buy ADA vans to supplement district buses with lifts; staff said typical accessible vehicles cost roughly $140,000 fully equipped.
Trustees pressed for a clearer contingency plan if frozen federal funds are not released, asking administration to return with estimates of how long carryovers would fund current positions and services and to present options before fall staffing decisions. Administrators said they would deliver a follow-up presentation with granular estimates for projected expenditures and encumbrances at the next meeting.
The committee heard the finance report as a presentation item; no board vote on the financial statements was recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.
