SCHOOL NEWS
Enrollment down slightly at BISD, district on verge of paying ‘recapture’
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Enrollment for the new school year, a budget workshop and a notice of the Bowie Independent School District possibly facing state “recapture” in regard to local revenue were a few of the other topics from Monday night’s board meeting.
Superintendent Blake Enlow reported total enrollment is 1,575, compared to 1,604 at this time last year. By campus there are 503 at the high school (147 freshmen, 121 sophomores, 122 juniors and 113 seniors); 354 at the junior high (122 eighth, 117 seventh and 115 sixth); 344 at the intermediate (123 fifth, 113 fourth and 108 third) and elementary is at 374 (119 second, 93 first, 95 kindergarten and 67 early childhood, Head Start and pre-K).
He pointed to a much smaller kindergarten class this year and a much larger senior class graduating last year as big changes.
Recapture
In July BISD was informed it was on the verge of going into recapture mode where the local revenue level is in excess of entitlement for school year 2023-24. At the last meeting, Enlow told the board the district has been on the verge in recent years and now is close.
Per the letter from the Texas Education Agency, districts subject to recapture are based on estimates of enrollment for the new school year and estimated property values for tax year 2023. Because the agency has not yet received final state-certified property values it is using 2022 values increased by 4.43%.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Bowie school trustees began the arduous task of creating a 2024-25 budget during a lengthy workshop this week.
The board also reviewed some possible changes in the student/employee handbooks and codes of conduct.
Superintendent Blake Enlow said the board spent about two hours in discussion Monday night and began crunching numbers; however, many factors still remain unknown including state funding and local ad valorem tax revenue.
Trustees examined where the district stands for the rest of the fiscal year that ends in August. Finance Director Paula Peterson said the district is catching up on the arrival some state revenues, which she hopes will help offset the expect shortfall. The 2023-24 budget adopted with a half-million deficit, but Enlow said they hope to keep that down as much as possible.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
As the Bowie School District launches into its summer projects, several department heads offered their year-end reports to the trustees last Thursday.
Annual reports
Wayne Walker, support services director, told the board the management team for all his departments set a goal to reduce budget expenses this year and so far they are below budget projections as the school year winds down and summer projects kick off.
As of June 6, child nutrition was $235,678.46 below budget; transportation, $217,942.20 below budget and custodial $312,277.44 below budget, for an overall projected amount of $765,898.10 below budget.
“We hope to finish August 2024 under budget to help out the district in recouping some of the adopt deficit budget for 2023-24. We are projecting in the right direction to end the fiscal year,” said Walker.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Bowie High School’s Mighty Marching Maroon Band will host a fundraiser paint party from 6-8 p.m. on June 18 in the high school cafeteria.
Cost is $30 to paint an 11 X 14 pre-traced canvas with $15 of each prepaid ticket going to the boosters. The band boosters will be providing snacks, and all supplies such as paint, brushes and canvas are provided.
Host will be Shannon Adkins of Texas Gals Creative Studio.
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