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ISD finance staff outline ISD/RESA budget, emphasize grant‑funding and special‑education services
Summary
Finance staff told the board the ISD/RESA general fund is roughly $68 million and is heavily shaped by Talent Together and state fiscal‑agent grants; special‑education staffing and program grants were highlighted and the presenter said many ISD employees are grant‑funded.
At the May board meeting, the district’s ISD/RESA finance presenter walked the board through a high‑level view of the agency’s fund structure and how grant work shapes staffing.
The presenter described three main funds: a general fund, a special‑education fund and a capital projects fund. He said the general fund is approximately $68 million and that about $27 million is related to the Talent Together teacher‑pipeline program; he also said a large portion of the general fund reflects state fiscal‑agent grants but an exact figure for that line was not clarified at the meeting. The presenter noted the ISD acts as fiscal agent for a number of state grants including the state performance plan grant, special‑education mediation services and an indigenous history project, and that ISD staff provide services such as math and literacy consultation, school psychologists, social workers and transition programs.
On special education, the presenter emphasized the ISD’s responsibility for special‑education compliance (as required by state code), and described new uses of capital funds (including a day‑treatment program housed on M28 and a transition program for students ages 19–26). He said the special‑education fund supports regional services — for example, psychologists, therapists and consultants used by local districts — and that many special‑ed costs are passed through to local districts or reimbursed via state mechanisms.
When board members pressed for personnel breakdowns, the presenter said ISD enrollment is just under 9,000 and that employee counts are roughly 200 when including fiscal‑agent and Talent Together positions and about 120 excluding those grant‑funded positions; he offered to provide a detailed personnel and grant‑funding breakdown later.
The presentation closed with program‑by‑function explanations (instructional services for CTE and middle‑college, supporting services including 31N mental‑health programming and McKinney‑Vento homeless services, business and central support functions, and outgoing transfers to local districts for pass‑through funds).
