"This is a catch-22 for a school district," University of Houston education professor Duncan Klussmann said.
Klussmann says HISD is between a rock and a hard place with this one. The district confirms it spent $350,000 installing 18 billboards across the metro, advertising what it said are recent academic gains and encouraging people to enroll students.
District records show that the $350,000 price tag totals up to about four high school teacher salaries at new education systems schools. The cost has received pushback from some parent and teacher groups as the district has spent the past several years saying they need money to do basic upgrades in schools to make sure things like HVAC systems are work. But on the other hand, Eyewitness News has previously reported the district has lost 30,000 students over the last ten years.
"They're even losing enrolment in the schools that they are turning around at times, so there is a real issue around that piece, and school districts are funded by their enrolment," Klussmann said.
School vouchers are also set to start next school year. Critics worry vouchers will continue the decline in enrollment and further impact public school funding.
HISD sent ABC13 a statement saying the billboards are designed to "celebrate the incredible hard work and academic gains of our students and educators, while also inviting more families to learn about and enroll in our schools."
This added expense also comes as HISD announced that Superintendent Mike Miles recently received a $173,660 bonus on top of his $462,000 salary, bringing his total compensation for the year to over half a million dollars. Klussmann said if someone meets the requirements for a promised bonus, they should get it, but the base salaries are always worth considering.
"I do think it's very important for superintendents to gauge where their overall system is. You know, if it's a year where teachers aren't getting very high raises or raises at all then I think school leaders need to think about whether they want to take an increase that year?" Klussmann said.
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