At one point or another, many students have asked where the funding for something in our school comes from. Whether it’s something small like toilet paper or something on a much larger scale like the building of C Hall, the money has to come from somewhere.
We spoke with Timber Creek Campus Accountant Lisa Judd to find out some of the details on how some pieces are paid for.
Classes, Sports, and Fine Arts
Every year the district allows a certain amount of money depending on the class and they form a budget available for that course. This budget is determined by the amount of students enrolled in that class and other factors. Class needs that go above the budgeted amount of money are self-funded, either through fundraisers or by something such as the advertisements on the bleachers. That money goes to the specific department that raised the money.
Maintenance Budget
Maintenance items like toilet paper, paper towels and other items are ordered by custodial staff. The custodians order this based on the amount they ordered the previous year, as well as basing it off of enrollment in the school. They also get a budget determined by the district, which is directly related with the population in the school.
Construction of C Hall
Otherwise known as Central Hall, this hallway was built with money given by a bond to expand Timber Creek as well as other campuses. This was funded by the district through a bond process that was approved by Keller ISD voters.
“That was part of the bond which was a renovation to Keller High School as well as Caprock,” says Lisa Judd, the campus accountant for Timber Creek. “At the election they played out that they needed to expand Timber Creek.”
After beginning construction in 2013 and finally finishing in 2014, C Hall has been a significant addition to Timber Creek, adding more classrooms to deal with a larger student population.
Teacher Supplies
Teachers are allotted a certain amount of money for classroom supplies depending on the department they’re working in. For example, Engineering classes might get more or less funding than a different department. New teachers get basic supplies to start their first year at Timber Creek to make them feel welcome as well as give them a little bit of a head start in their career.
Parking Passes
Every student driver at Timber Creek has to buy a parking pass to be able to park on campus. After doing some calculating, we found parking passes produce roughly $20,000 every year.
“We have a parking budget and unlike other schools we’re growing. That money is set aside for parking or security purposes. The rule on spending that money is much stricter,” states Mrs. Judd.
This money is set aside in a separate budget primarily spent on parking lot maintenance or the building of things such as fences or the gates around campus. Recently, the school built two new gates to control access to the parking lots. Read more on those installations by clicking here.
Cell Phone Confiscations
When phones get taken up, students have to pay $15 to get it back from the office. What most students don’t know is there is an appeal process that can get your phone back without spending any money. Regardless, the money from this accumulates and adds to a technology budget, which helps to develop certain systems to interact with students such as the system that allows students to text in their votes for homecoming court or just simple computer maintenance.
School financing isn’t easy, but there is a significant amount of transparency available to all tax-payers that want to sift through documents. Readers can find Financial Transparency documents on the main Keller ISD website here: http://www.kellerisd.net/district/finance/Pages/default.aspx