More concerned parents attend HISD budget meeting

HOUSTON

The latest meeting was held at Bellaire High School on Monday night.

This was the latest of what the district is calling "Community Conversations," meetings with the public to discuss the latest budget hit for which HISD is bracing from the Texas Legislature.

Several dozen showed up for the meeting Monday night and some asked why the district hasn't considered raising taxes. Each penny in the formula brings in $10 million in taxes, but it's a sign of how big the hit may be that the audience was told it still wouldn't solve the problem.

"If they're talking about a $300 million hit, that's not gonna help, and even if we can go for another 13 cents, that's $130 million so we're still way below where we need to be," HISD School Board Trustee Mike Lunce said. "It's like what they said. If you take out the central office, you're still not going to be there, so it's gonna affect schools and that's the last place we need to affect."

HISD will be having another meeting on Tuesday to discuss magnet schools and the possibility of closing some of them.

Also later this week, the district plans to hold a Legislature 101 course for parents who are concerned about the budget cuts so they could become lobbyists in the fight to restore funding for education.