Well the announcement of projected revenue from the Comptroller's office was
made on Monday. As expected the projected revenue for the upcoming biennium
will not be sufficient to maintain current funding levels for the state. Everyone
knew that this day was coming but the announcement at least gives us some better
idea of the situation we will be dealing with. All budgetary items of this type are
always a guess and are never intended to be 100% accurate. So the question for
the legislature and consequently those of us who function with state money as a
revenue source is, WHAT DO WE ABOUT IT?

There are many concepts to remember in this situation. The budget deficit
number that has been placed by some people to be at 26 billion dollars is
determined by maintaining current funding levels, and in the case of education,
allows for funding to account for new students. The Texas Education Agency has
already made budget reductions the last two years. Are these cuts accounted for in
this deficit number? I do not know that answer at this time. My point is the
number is an estimate and is not intended to be a definite number. Many other
state agencies have made budget cuts as well and all of these may not be accounted
for in this number.

Despite the reality that the real number won't be known until the biennium is
over, we do know that we will see a reduction in money we receive from the state.
Hawley ISD is already reviewing current budgets looking for methods to reduce
expenditures. We still do not have any idea how much ofa reduction we will
receive and if we will receive any relief in the form of less strings attached to the
money we do receive. We are very proud of our students, staff, and programs and
we will certainly keep this in the forefront as we address these reductions.
As the legislative session moves forward we will begin to get a sense of what
form these reductions will take and how they will apply to Hawley ISD. We have
already begun the review process to ensure that as we get information we are ready
to respond. We will do everything we can to ensure that our community, staff and
students are aware of possibilities as they occur. This economic situation is serious
but we will continue to work hard to advance our students to becoming successful,
productive citizens. Please, anytime any of you have questions or concerns feel
free to contact me. If I do not have the answer I will find the answer.

Sincerely,
Glenn Coles