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Pasadena ISD staff present options as budget shows about $6.8 million deficit
Summary
District staff told trustees the current draft budget shows an approximate $6.8 million deficit, outlined options for percentage raises and one-time payments, and said federal ESSER funds are expiring; no pay decisions were taken at the special meeting.
Pasadena ISD trustees heard a budget update on June 11 that showed a current draft deficit of roughly $6.8 million and outlined several options for staff compensation and one-time payments.
District finance presenter Ben Poppy walked trustees through a packet that included the updated deficit figure, a 1.22 disaster-penny request tied to last year's tornado recovery, and savings from roughly 150 positions reduced through attrition. Poppy said the budget as presented assumes no across-the-board salary increase and incorporates department budget reductions of about 3 percent.
Why it matters: trustees were reminded that earlier drafts showed a much larger structural gap (about $37 million) and that federal ESSER funds that had temporarily bolstered district revenue are expiring in September. That narrowing of the gap reflects a combination of the fiscal-year change the board adopted earlier, staffing adjustments and departmental cuts.
Options discussed included small percentage raises (examples discussed by staff: 2 percent across certain employee groups) and one-time payments (a $500 one-time payment for teachers was one illustrative option). Staff said combinations of raises and one-time payments would change the deficit amount; the packet provided trustees several permutations so they could compare fiscal impacts.
District staff emphasized there was no action on raises at the June 11 meeting and that trustees would receive another budget update in July timed to county appraisal roll information from Harris County. The board was told staff would return with a formal action item on compensation when recommended figures and additional data were available.
Details from the presentation: the packet noted a proposed 1.22 disaster penny to address recovery needs from last year's tornado; the material also listed staffing reductions identified through attrition (about 150 positions) and a 3 percent departmental reduction as cost-containment measures. Staff said the district is still in the process of hiring, which complicates immediate personnel-cost projections.
Board reaction and next steps: trustees asked clarifying questions about how options would affect the deficit and how the district would balance one-time payments versus recurring salary increases. The board did not vote on compensation; staff will bring a follow-up budget report in July and an action item when recommended compensation proposals are finalized.
