Frisco (WBAP/KLIF News) – The Frisco Independent School District says it will consider a freeze on teachers’ salaries and delay the opening of new schools as a result of the failure of a property tax increase over the weekend.
“People look at our budget and say, ‘Well, it’s always going up,’” says Superintendent Jeremy Lyon. “Of course it is. We’re the fastest growing school district in Texas.”
Frisco rejected a 13 cent property tax increase. Sixteen percent of voters turned out for the election, with the proposition failing 58-42 percent.
Lyon says the district will now need to make $30 million in cuts to its next budget.
“We are faced with increasing expectation for outcomes with declining resources,” he says.
Frisco will hold a workshop on September 6 to look at options for its next budget.
“The community’s voted,” Lyon says. “Let’s get everybody in a room, identify what you need to do, get it done. Let’s unify and move on.”
The district is taking $14 million from its reserves to meet this year’s budget.
Lyon says the additional money is needed to accommodate the growth in the district. He says 400 kids will move to Frisco during this school year.
“We’re adding kids every day. We’ll add two kids during the course of this interview,” he jokes.
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