Last year we left our talk about school finance with school property taxes.

Now I know this is not everyone’s favorite subject...

...but a community is only as healthy as the school district is successful.

We learned in the first school finance session the current system does not provide equal funding per student to Texas school districts.

In addition to that, it is important to know that increased property values which cause your school taxes to increase...

...do NOT lead to an increase in funding for the operations of Klein ISD.

As local property tax collections increase, our state funding decreases proportionately.

The state then has the discretion to appropriate the local tax funds into any state budget - not just education.

And the fixed amount set by the state -- which is allocated on a per student basis...

has not kept up with rising costs due to various reasons including inflation.

Klein ISD does receive the fixed amount per student for new students to help cover the costs of the additional teachers and staff needed...

...but the increase does not address the inflation costs for supplies and services as mentioned earlier.

Payroll costs account for 90% of the entire school district budget with teachers and support staff making up the largest percentage of the payroll.

To make matters more challenging, school districts receive the same transportation allotment as they did in 1984.

So, how can districts secure additional funds to support and sustain a high quality educational environment?

Can the district afford to open two new schools with the existing revenue structure provided by the state?

The answers to these questions and more, in the coming weeks.

I’m Bret Champion and that’s Klein ISD in 90 Seconds.