By Kate Bubacz
Presidio
At a special meeting on Dec. 16, the Presidio ISD School Board revealed a budget surplus of $1.2 million from the past year. The next evening, the board enthusiastically approved a one-time $1,500 pay stipend for full-time employees in the district making less than $150 a day.
This is the second year in a row that the district has operated with a surplus. The general fund balance of $13.6 million will cover eight to nine months of district expenses, well above the state recommendation of three to four months of operational cash. “I don’t get to say this a lot,” said Kacey Gast, the accountant from Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, who performed the district’s audit.
Overall revenue is driven by state programs, taxes and property values. Presidio received more funding through the state this year, while local revenue sources decreased. Expenditures have stayed largely consistent in the district over the past year, with instructional costs rising slightly to $11.7 million and general administration and maintenance staying flat. “Kudos to the district and all the pieces that go into it. That’s a hard thing to do,” Gast said.
A special meeting on the audit was open to the public but attended by no one. Five of the eight board members were present to listen to the presentation, and the audit was concluded quickly. The mood at the regular board meeting the next night was far different. A packed house and a full board were in attendance. Four girls from the traveling volleyball team, one carrying a large foil tray, presented a cake to board members as a thank-you for their support. A proposal for a 4-day work week was applauded. Beyond student and teacher accolades, the main agenda item was a discussion around stipends for at-will staff and aides.
“After our last meeting I did a lot of research, and the part I looked at the most is a living wage,” said Carmen Rubner, the district superintendent, as an opening. She broke down the findings of her research, based on information from an online living wage calculator from MIT, which puts a living wage for the county at $17/hour for a single adult, or $130 a day. For two adults with a child it’s $124 a day.
Working with this data, Ms. Rubner did a rough analysis of the daily wages for staff and individuals on campus. She found that a significant percentage of employees in the district are making less than $150 a day. To address this, Rubner proposed a one-time pay stipend of $1,500 for at-will employees making less than $150 a day, which will be broken into 2 payments in January and May.
“I appreciate the effort and that you’re taking action on our concerns,” Jocelyn Lopez told the board through tears “I’ve been [an aide] here for 4 years. I left for a year because I could not afford daycare and that was an issue for me.”
Rubner thanked Lopez for raising her concerns through both official and unofficial channels. The $1,500 stipend was based on Rubner’s understanding of what the district could afford, as it was not included in the annual budget. With 252 employees in the district, Rubner concluded it was more effective to base the stipend on daily wage instead of salary, position or hours worked. The board will examine pay structures over the summer during the normal budget process.
“I think we’re making great strides at trying to compensate our employees fairly,” Board President Perla Nativdad said.