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Union leaders urge deeper cuts to restore reserves and protect staff amid budget squeeze
Summary
Representatives of BEST AFT and Texas Valley Educators Association told the board the state’s small per‑student increase and new private‑school voucher program leave local schools to shoulder more costs, urging the board to prioritize the reserve and staff pay over new consulting and some stipends.
Union leaders used the budget hearing to press the district to preserve reserves and protect employee pay from further erosion.
Patrick Hammes, a union leader with BEST AFT, told trustees he and other staff are worried about the district’s falling fund balance. "The fact that we're going from a $131 million reserve fund to $90 million is very concerning to us and the employees," he said during public comment, calling that decline roughly "a 30% cut." Hammes asked the board to identify $10 million in savings to guard against potential emergency actions next year.
Adina Alegria, executive director of the Texas Valley Educators Association, criticized recent state actions, including what she described as a $55 per‑student increase that "is not an increase, that's a rounding error dressed up as relief." She told the board the Legislature's new private‑school voucher program shifted funds away from public schools and urged trustees to use the budget process to prioritize classroom needs and equitable compensation.
Both speakers thanked district staff for work on the budget and urged trustees to pursue longer‑term planning to avoid layoffs or "financial exigency" if state funding or enrollment worsens.
