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Manor ISD holds meeting to discuss budget challenges

Community members will have a chance to hear what's being considered and ask questions.

MANOR, Texas —

Manor ISD officials are hosting a special meeting Thursday to discuss the challenges the district faces for its budget next year. 

The virtual meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and community members will have a chance to hear what's being considered and ask questions.  

Superintendent Dr. Robert Sormani said a lot of districts are struggling with their budgets, and it's important to be transparent and educate the community on the process of deciding what to keep and what to cut. 

Sormani said recently, the state comptroller released a report that said the costs for school his risen nearly 20%, but schools don't have new revenue coming in. 

He also said voters and the community have expressed that they want teachers and staff to be rewarded for their hard work and paid competitive salaries – but with a tighter budget, that can come at a cost. 

"The No. 1 thing that we've heard is the retention of our staff and providing the compensation to keep up with the cost of living. Because everyone's cost of living has gone up, too – anyone who's gone to the grocery store or the gas pumps know that as well," Sormani said. "So once you start doing that and you have no new revenue, we've got to figure out a way of funding that."

RELATED: Lockhart ISD approves raises for upcoming school year as other Texas school districts make cuts

Manor ISD officials want to discuss what could be cut. Things like reducing bus routes, changing some class curriculum or leaving certain positions vacant. 

"This is their school district. This is the community's school district. And we've heard from them that, 'We want to take care of our teaching staff.' It's a very caring community, very supportive of our schools. And so, they need to know that, in this current environment, the only way we can do that is by finding efficiencies in other places," Sormani said.

He also said Manor ISD officials are talking to trustees about considering a tax rate election to generate new revenue for things like mental health support and new safety and security initiatives. 

The district asks everyone to register for the meeting. It will be open until it gets started. Community members can submit questions ahead of time, and the district will post a recording of the meeting on its YouTube channel

RELATED: Austin ISD discusses budget cuts, strategies

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