Harlingen CISD offering $1,000 incentives to retiring, resigning teachers

HARLINGEN — Teachers and professional staffers who retire or resign are being offered $1,000 “incentives” as officials plan the school district’s “right-sizing” amid millions of dollars in budget cuts aimed at rebuilding their fund balance.

The school board approved the new “Early Exit” program as the district “absorbs” employees based on attrition.

So far, interim Superintendent Veronica Kortan and top officials are cutting about $7.2 million as they work to build up the district’s fund balance after former Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez’s administration used $23.2 million in cash reserves to cover general operating costs including unbudgeted expenses.

Now, the district’s fund balance stands at about $19.8 million.

As part of the district’s new fiscal plan, the Early Exit program is offering district professionals announcing their retirements or resignations next month the $1,000 incentives effective at the end of the school year, as officials work to set next year’s staffing levels.

“This initiative will allow the school district to forecast vacancies for the new year,” Debbie Scogin, the district’s assistant superintendent for human services, told school board members during a meeting.

The program is open to professionals announcing their retirements or resignations in January, she said during the school board’s Dec. 10 meeting.

As they closed the school year’s first semester, officials had “absorbed” about 47 positions, based on attrition.

While officials reviewed central office programming this month, next month they’ll be meeting with central office department directors while planning to meet with campus principals in February to review staffing for the next year.

As they carry out their new fiscal plan, officials are zooming in on key funding sources such as student enrollment and daily classroom attendance numbers.

So far this year, enrollment’s fallen to about 16,491, down 319 students from last year, leading to a $1.95 million drop in revenue.

Based on a state formula, for every student attending class, the state gives the district about $6,460.

Under their new plan, officials are rolling out a marketing program aimed at boosting enrollment.

“We feel that new marketing plan is going to help us to increase and improve,” Kortan told board members during their meeting, referring to enrollment and average daily classroom attendance.

Interim Superintendent Veronica Kortan is seen during Harlingen CISD’s board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (Courtesy: Harlingen CISD)

As part of the new marketing program, officials are planning to redesign the district’s website, producing videos featuring virtual campus tours and digital campus brochures while expanding livestreaming of district events including athletics.

“We’re going to go out and tell our story,” Kortan said. “We have a wonderful story to tell in HCISD. Just working with our community and getting that out there is going to be a priority.”

At the district’s business office, officials have implemented new “controls and new systems,” Kortan told board members.

Meanwhile, officials are “rethinking” budget planning while calling on department heads to prioritize budget needs.

“We’re re-imaging our entire process for budget development, where we start with a zero-based budget,” Kortan said. “It’s all about looking at data and looking at trend data, different things like enrollment and things of that nature to build a budget that’s going to fit the needs of our current year.”

Across the district, officials are running expenditures under a microscope.

During the board’s meeting, Ida Ambriz, the district’s accounting director, told trustees she was using $54,000 in local revenue to renew transportation’s routing and planning GPS software’s annual license.

“Ms. Ambriz and the team make sure that those funds are already in the account and they’re set aside and earmarked in the event that we should need them,” Kortan told board members regarding the annual license renewal.

During discussion, board member Dr. Nolan Perez called it critical to keep expenses within budget.

“That’s very important because in the past that didn’t happen,” he said, referring to Gonzalez’s administration. “We approved stuff where we didn’t have money set aside for that.”

As the district works to cut expenditures, Perez hailed Kortan and officials for balancing the budget.

“I want to remind everybody that help’s on the way,” he said. “Not only are you increasing our fund balance and really getting us on the track for success so we can really truly align our budget to our vision and goals, we’re on the right course now. It’s all because of your leadership.”

The Harlingen CISD board members are seen during a regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (Courtesy: Harlingen CISD)

So far, officials cut $7.2 million in expenditures, including $1.7 million in consulting fees while reviewing about 25 positions, aiming to save $1.5 million while making 10% cuts in department budgets to slash another $1.5 million.

Meanwhile, they’re reclassifying contracted security costs under a grant to save $613,829 and reclassifying 30 custodial positions into the food service department to save about $600,000 while reclassifying summer school costs under a grant to save $405,792.

While slashing overtime costs by $500,000, they’re cutting $388,582 worth of travel expenses.

Across the district, officials are planning to cut expenses, working to rebuild their fund balance.

In late August, board members found out Gonzalez’s administration had pulled $23.2 million from the fund balance to cover general operating costs including unbudgeted expenses.

Until then, they didn’t know the administration was dipping into millions of dollars in cash reserves, overspending the budget.

J.A. Gonzalez

While officials argue Gonzalez’s administration pulled $23.2 million from the district’s fund balance without the school board’s knowledge, Gonzalez claims he didn’t know Ramon Mendoza, the district’s former assistant superintendent for business services, was withdrawing the money.

In late August, board members set up the district’s new Finance and Planning Committee to review expenses.

Days later, Gonzalez, who had taken office a year before after serving as McAllen’s superintendent since 2016, suddenly resigned with two years left on his contract, five months after board members gave him a one-year contract extension along with a $10,000 pay increase, bumping his salary to $310,000.

After naming Kortan, the district’s deputy superintendent, to serve as interim superintendent, officials began developing their new fiscal plan.

Last month, the certified public accounting firm of Carr, Riggs and Ingram gave the district a clean audit for the 2023-2024 school year.

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