Spring ISD 2012-13 approved budget includes increased salaries

The Spring Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a budget of $330,653,219 for the 2012-13 school year on May 8.

The general fund consists of $256,975,904, the child nutrition fund will be $22,033,000, and the debt service fund will consist of $51,644,315.

This budget should maintain the same tax rate as last year and provide a 1 percent raise and one-time $750 retention supplement for staff members.

"We are actually in a position of receiving more funds for 2012-13 than we did for ’11-’12; however, we are still receiving less than we would have if the state had maintained the old funding formula," said Christine Porter, Spring ISD associate superintendent for financial services, in the press release. "We were able to focus on what we could keep this year."

The 1 percent raise and retention supplement should provide an average 3 percent increase for employees who have gone for two years without a cost-of-living increase.

The new budget will allow the district to keep the current staff and maintain federally funded stipends. The budget will also accommodate for the expected enrollment increase of 500 students.