HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The third largest district in the state is cutting dozens of its librarians.. Those cuts were made official in a late email sent to them.
In an email sent late Tuesday night, the librarians who were cut were told they would be placed on an excess list. The superintendent released a lengthy message to the district and media Wednesday, blaming the shortfall on a decline of student attendance, record inflation and the expiration of federal stimulus funding. It's something parents said the district should have been prepared for.
KHOU 11 reached out to the district and asked why the librarian jobs were cut through email and after business hours. We've not heard back. The school board will have a meeting on Thursday at 6 p/m. "It is with a heavy heart I write this month’s message to our CFISD community. As you know, I briefly outlined our 2024-2025 budget picture in February and sought your feedback as we navigate these challenges.
The Budget Workshop on April 22 was an opportunity for our Board to hear recommendations from the BRAC and provide input and feedback in advance of our budget deadline. The BRAC recommendations were not close enough to our one-third target amount in year one. Since then, we have reduced our target amount with a plan to utilize the existing fund balance to offset cuts and minimize staff reductions.
The trustees and I have been in frequent communication with our legislative delegation, advocating on behalf of the district regarding our budget challenges. The most urgent request of our legislators is their help with the Texas Education Agency Commissioner to utilize excess state funds to offset the district’s loss of revenue due to the LOHE for approximately $30 million. All our legislators have shared their willingness to advocate on our behalf.