BRENHAM ISD ASKING LEGISLATURE TO UP STUDENT ALLOTMENT, SWITCH TO FUNDING BY ENROLLMENT, DEDICATE MONEY TO TEACHER RAISES

  

Increasing the basic allotment paid to school districts per student, funding districts by enrollment, and allocating money for teacher pay raises are some of Brenham ISD’s priorities for the Texas Legislature.

The Brenham School Board on Monday adopted a list of eight topics in education deemed most important for lawmakers to address in this legislative session, which ends on June 2^nd.  The board’s discussion involved wordsmithing the individual priorities to make sure trustees were unified in what they are requesting from the Legislature. 

The full list reads:

1. Address inflation by increasing the basic allotment by 25% and providing an ongoing inflationary adjustment to the school funding formula.
2. Fully fund all state-mandated programs and adjust program allotments to accurately reflect the true cost of delivering required services, ensuring districts are not burdened with unfunded mandates.
3. Fund school districts based on enrollment, not Average Daily Attendance, with common sense accountability for attendance rates.
4. All funds earmarked for public education by legislators without an accompanying bill to authorize their allocation at the end of the legislative session shall be directed toward teacher raises for all teachers, excluding the Teacher Incentive Allotment.
5. Ensure that all schools and entities receiving public education funding are held to the same standards of accountability, including adherence to mandates, transparency requirements, financial oversight, and the provision of required services.
6. Amend the Safe Schools Act, specifically Chapter 37, which addresses behavior management and student discipline, with a common sense approach that allows districts more leeway to address student discipline issues while protecting staff and other students.
7. Workforce Development & CTE Program Funding – Advocate for increased state investment in Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs to align with workforce demands and expand career pathways for students.
8. School Safety & Mental Health Support – Support dedicated, sustained funding for school safety enhancements, security personnel, and mental health resources to ensure student well-being.

Brenham ISD leaders have long asked for an increase in the state’s base allotment, saying the current figure of $6,160 per student has not changed since 2019 and has not kept up with inflation.  On Thursday, the House filed a bill, House Bill 2, that would increase the allotment to $6,380.

Officials have also expressed frustration with state mandates that do not come with the funding needed to adequately enforce them, saying they can lead to budgetary challenges.

For school attendance, Texas is one of six states that use an attendance-based funding model, but Brenham ISD is seeking to focus on enrollment in order to avoid needing to absorb the cost of absent students.  The district is also looking to add in measures such as not penalizing schools for excused student absences.

The priority for earmarked funds stems from what occurred in the 2023 legislative session, where division among lawmakers about a proposed school voucher plan led to billions of dollars in dedicated public education funding being left unused.

Regarding the emphasis on discipline, the board feels school districts are limited in their options when it comes to the worst cases of student behavior and that staff members need to be able to adequately address extreme cases of disruptive conduct in order to provide a safe learning environment.