SCHOOL NEWS
BISD shooting for balanced 2020 budget
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Bowie School Trustees received a clearer view of its proposed budget as salary schedules for all the staff were presented Monday night, along with projections for how 2018-19’s fiscal year may end.
Ken Korbel, chief financial officers, and Superintendent Blake Enlow presented new calculations for the budgets.
In trying to gauge where the present fiscal year may end, Korbel said the state is only at 73 percent of its funding, leaving the district waiting for about $900,000. At this point BISD is looking at a $1,606,608 deficit; however, with one more month to go in the budget year adding in payroll and payables, that deficit will jump to a little more than $3 million.
Originally the district was anticipating a deficit in the $2.4 to $2.6 million range.
Board President Jacky Betts pointed out if they take out the energy retrofit project money of about $1.6 million, and the $375,000 in the statewide compressor lawsuit settlement, the deficit will be more like $900,000. The initial payment to E3 in the energy project came out of fund balance.
Korbel confirmed that would be about right. The CFO said he will know more as they wrap up the salary accruals for the 10-month employees, makes retirement system adjustments and go through the budget to make any final changes. Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Bowie Independent School Trustees continued work on the 2026-27 budget during its Aug. 17 meeting including the creation of a salary schedule and establishing a proposed tax rate.
The budget and 2026 proposed tax rate will be up for adoption in an early morning meeting at 7 a.m. on Aug. 31, just at the brink of the new fiscal year.
The salary schedule is based in large part on the Texas Association of School Board’s salary study commissioned by the district. Per the study teacher salaries are above the market median at most benchmarked years. They are most competitive at year 0 where they are 5% above the market median and least competitive at year five where they are 1% below the marked median.
District officials initiated the salary study to get more definitive information where its salaries fall and while some areas were in the range, other category of employees fell below the market. Trustees discussed the need to move auxiliary staff and custodial closer to the market level.
Superintendent Donna Hale and Finance Director Paula Peterson explained the new schedule will not be an across-the-board percentage increase, but focus on getting all employee pay scales closer to the market averages.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonnline.com
Bowie Independent School District Trustees began plowing through the 2026-27 budget at its first workshop on Aug. 3.
The center of discussion was presentation of the salary study commissioned by the district through the Texas Association of School Boards. Laura Wurman of TASB explained how the data was gathered and developed into recommendations for the district.
Purpose of the study is to assess competitive pay levels for common jobs. Wurman said they analyses market data to determine where the district is at risk and identified priorities for pay system improvements.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Diana Calderon will join the Bowie High School staff as assistant principal in the new school year.
She comes to Bowie from Lake Dallas Elementary School where she served as assistant principal since 2024. Her prior positions include administrator at Decatur High School from 2022-2024, and English as a second language director at Ponder High School and Middle School from 2017 to 2022.
Calderon’s educational background began with a bachelor of business management in 2007 from the University of Phoenix. She earned her master degree in bilingual education from Southern Methodist University in 2018 and a master’s in educational leadership also in 2018.
The educator is working on her doctorate of educational leadership.
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