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Consultant tells Kilgore ISD board the district compares close to peers but has lower revenue per student
Summary
An efficiency audit presented to trustees compared Kilgore ISD to peer districts, noted lower revenue per student compared with peers, high payroll share and teacher salary gaps, and recommended that voters consider the proposed M&O tax rate action to access additional state funding.
Dr. Amber Lissing, an efficiency-audit consultant, presented the required audit materials and peer comparisons at Monday—s Kilgore ISD board meeting, saying the audit is an informational tool voters and trustees can use ahead of a voter-approval tax ratification election.
Lissing summarized how Texas tax-rate components work and described peer districts selected for statistical comparison. She noted the district—s revenue per student was roughly $9,926 compared with about $10,401 for peers and that payroll comprises about 80.5% of the district—s operating budget. "Your average teacher salary is about $2,000 less than your peers," she said in the presentation materials.
The auditor also explained ranking and rating data (the district received a "C" using 24—25 data in the report, with some peer districts scoring higher) and walked trustees through demographics that affect weighted funding, including economically disadvantaged students (about 72% in Kilgore vs. about 68% for the peers in the consultant—s sample).
Lissing emphasized that the audit report is intended to provide standardized, public data for local interpretation; it does not in itself pronounce a district efficient or inefficient. Board members used the presentation to ask about the projected revenue impact of the additional M&O pennies being proposed for voter consideration, and to confirm the data sources and timelines used in the audit.
