Letter Option One - PTA Officer/Leadership

 

It is suggested to contact the following Legislative Leadership of the 87th Session and the Texas Education Agency Commissioner directly. 

Copy and paste the message below and add your information at the bottom if you choose. Include this as the comment or message in the forms/emails above.

 

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Dear Sirs,

 

As COVID-19 continued to wreak havoc into the 2020-2021 school year, ISDs were relieved to receive continuous 100% ADA funding based on data from the 2019-2020 school year.  This relief allowed for our school district to plan for face to face learning, learning at home, as well as prepare for the need of PPE necessities for staff and students within their buildings all while working within a budget that hadn’t been designed for a full year of schooling during a pandemic.

 

ISDs across the state planned their budgets around the one passed during the 86th legislative session.  The funding that the Hold Harmless extension of 100% ADA impacts has been allocated through the budget process for public schools and should be continued to be used as such.  There is no reason to hold back funding during a pandemic causing untold and unnecessary stress on school administration, school staff, teachers, parents, and students when what is truly necessary is more not less in order for our ISDs to meet the needs of all of our enrolled students.

 

With or without an extension of Hold Harmless, the repercussions of COVID-19 will last for years to come.  Without it, we know that the immediate loss of teachers and academic programming currently in place to maintain academic growth during a pandemic will only cause those repercussions to be multiplied over and over again.  Mid-year budget cuts have no place in the minds of our administration and school board right now.  They have more pressing matters to be concerned about in regards to this school year in addition to planning a budget for 21-22 with funds that haven’t been allocated as of yet.

 

If in fact there is no extension, Plano ISD will be facing a $10 million additional deficit.  HB3 while it helped a variety of aspects of the funding mechanism, Plano ISD was not a recipient of any net gain.  In order to provide their staff with the much anticipated raise and deserved raise, the district chose to run a deficit budget dipping into a well-maintained reserve due to years of excellent financial management.  An additional deficit of $10 million will cause great harm to a district that continues to operate with one of the highest recapture payments in the state.

 

We are asking you to consider the future of this great state of ours - our students.  Look at them and really see them.  Assure them that their future is bright.  Assure them that the state of Texas is doing all it can to make it so.  Assure them that all they have lost since March of 2020 will not include the one person or one program that is saving them right now.  Assure them that public schools will be fully funded!

 

We sincerely ask for you to back the future and extend the Hold Harmless funding for the remainder of the 20-21 school year!

 

Thank you,

 

Plano ISD PTA Leadership