BELTON, Texas (KXXV) — “To have the school system and to have each school able to have a library as a special place for them to go to learn those things that just reinforce something that's important to all of us,” said Amy Longfield, Belton ISD parent.
- Belton ISD could have to make staff cuts for savings
- New budget approved
- One percent increase from last year
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Amy Longfield is the mother of a third and fifth grader in Belton ISD. She loves everything about the district but is sad about the possibility of removing, reducing, and restructuring some positions, including health care staff, central office staff, and librarians.
"At first, I was very shocked because I know that our schools and our districts value our librarians, and so it brought to my attention how dire the circumstances are," said Longfield.
There are currently 20 campuses employing 18 librarians. Replacing librarians with paraprofessionals could save the district more than half a million dollars, $540,000 in savings.
The district just approved a budget of more than 150 million dollars, a one percent increase from last year. According to the district website, expenses were reduced by almost 5 million to offset declining revenues and provide a pay raise for staff to help with retention.
"It made sense to me that different cuts are being considered because the school is just out of funding," said Longfield.
According to the budget advisory committee, the district is not property-wealthy, so not enough property taxes are collected to cover operating costs. But if you ask Amy, it's an investment we can't afford not to make.
"We all know literacy is critical to our children," said Longfield. "It is tied to the opportunities they have as they continue into adulthood."
The Belton school district will not speak on the possible cuts; if they were to happen, it would be down the timeline. They tell me the Texas Legislative vote in 2025 would greatly help us provide funding for our districts.
To see a slideshow from the Budget Advisory Committee,click here.
To see more about the budget, click here.
