The Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees approved a budget of $450.7 million for the 2020-2021 year at its June 18 regular Board meeting.
The budget includes funds to utilize new technology and learning resources to allow the District to adapt to changes in teaching and learning as a result of COVID-19. Resources include $4.5 million in currently unfilled positions to allow the District the flexibility to hire as needs arise or continue to set aside depending on the economic landscape. Through Bond 2018 funds, the budget also includes the purchase of Chromebooks to allow for the transition to a one-to-one device model.
Continuing to invest in staff, the Board approved an additional $13 million to be directed to employees with $12 million in compensation increases and $1 million to employee medical insurance.
“Through the planning and efforts of our Financial Department, this budget gives us the flexibility we need to meet the challenges and the changing needs of our students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic while investing in the people we depend on to ensure our students are successful,” Superintendent Steve Flores, Ph.D. said. “We are fortunate as a school district to have the financial capacity to adapt to these changes while demonstrating successful student outcomes are the priority for resource allocation.”
The budget has a projected deficit of $9.9 million. However, the District has historically beat its budget by at least $10 million in each of the last 5 years. If that trend continues this year, the deficit will not be realized.
The Board will vote on a tax rate during the September meeting, with the projected rate decreasing from $1.2348 to 1.2209 per $100 valuation.
