Superintendent McCullough Updates the AISD Budget Situation When State Comptroller Susan Combs came out with her revenue estimate for the state last week, it showed that in order to maintain the same level of services we provide right now, taking into consideration projected growth, the state would need $99 billion with only $72 billion in projected revenue. The state could face a $27 billion budget gap. That's far worse than the worst-case scenario that many of us had heard. With public education, higher education, and health and human services making up most of the state's spending, it was clear that we were going to face significant cuts by the state. It concerned me when I heard the elected officials say that the state would not have new taxes or use the rainy day fund in this dire situation. This past Wednesday, the House released the first draft of its budget, and it is very discouraging. The information we have is very preliminary, and we will continue to evaluate the contents of the report as more information becomes available to us. As it stands using the House budget, the AISD would lose $27.6 million in basic state funding next year and another $7.5 million in state grant funds. The grants that are not funded in the draft budget include our $1.7 million technology allotment that is currently used to pay for technology staff development and the software used to support our technology bond purchases and a $3.2 million pre-K grant that allows us to serve pre-K students in area daycare centers. The draft budget could impact 10,000 jobs at the state level as well as the jobs of thousands of teachers around the state. We do not expect the budgets released by the Senate or the governor's office to be much different. Texas is currently 48th in education, and this situation will only make it worse. We can't have economic progress or advance in technology without a strong public education system. In my opinion, it is not right to take what has made our country and state strong and to say we are not going to give kids the same or better opportunities than what they have today. I encourage everyone to e-mail or write your state representative, senator and state leadership to let them know that what they're proposing to do to public education will be disastrous to the future of our state and our nation. We must make our voices heard - these cuts would be detrimental to public education and as a result to the state's economy and advancement. On Feb. 3, I will be bringing to the Board the first of several rounds of recommended budget reductions for next year. This is something that cannot wait. The most important thing about a school district is what goes on in a classroom, the education of our students. No matter what happens at the state level with the budget, there are going to be 64,000 students who will show up in August. It is my promise that I'm going to do everything I can to ensure that we do our best for every child in the AISD with whatever resources are available to us. -Superintendent Jerry McCullough Watch Superintendent McCullough's message during last night's Board of Trustees meeting. Find out more about the state public education finance system and how it affects the AISD. Contact your legislators: Gov. Rick Perry Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst Sen. Wendy Davis Sen. Chris Harris Rep. Barbara Nash Rep. Diane Patrick Rep. Todd Smith Rep. Bill Zedler