DR. MARC A. PUIG, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 
Special to the News
Fiscal Health
As the district’s Superintendent of Schools, it is ultimately my responsibility to ensure that the district is financially stable and that our campuses and departments are operating within their budgeted means.
On Tuesday, February 10, during the regular board meeting, I presented an update to the Board of Trustees regarding the district’s current state of affairs as it relates to budgets, enrollments, personnel and curriculum and instruction-related matters, among others.
Included in that report, is a five-year trend that shows the district’s fund balance, starting with the 2009-2010 school year and ending with the 2013-2014 school year, as noted in the graph below:
There are several factors that have contributed towards the notable decline in the fund balance over the five-year period. These are a direct result of a decline in enrollment, the district’s self-insured health plan and staffing decisions.
Cost-savings total over $1 million
As the school district’s leader, I am working diligently with my team, including our board members, and together, we have already taken the swift action of implementing cost-saving measures.
It’s important to note that since January 5, while working collaboratively with district staff and trustees, the district has already realized a savings totaling over $1,047,690 million. This is due to personnel resignations totaling $592,425.38, retirement of personnel totaling $364,987.35 and separation of personnel totaling $90.277.72.
I realize that as taxpayers, you have every reason to be concerned about how the school district is spending “your” money, as these are funds that you, the taxpayer, have entrusted us with.
As a district, we must be accountable to the taxpayer. And I assure you that from this point on, we will painstakingly monitor budgets and implement the necessary cost-savings measures similar to the ones we have already begun. I vow to keep the public and the community informed on a regular basis regarding the district’s financial progress by presenting these reports periodically.
Vision for Stonewall Jackson
We have a vision of partnering with the City of San Benito! My team and I recently presented the Stonewall Jackson proposal to the San Benito Housing Authority Board of Directors. We want our students to obtain the best educational opportunities here in San Benito, and this proposal served as a “vision” for our children’s future. We simply presented this proposal for future discussion and consideration.
We took advantage of this opportunity to present our proposal so that, together, we can all envision what this remarkable project can potentially offer our children, our district and our community in the very near future.
It’s important to note that not once did we indicate that San Benito CISD had any intentions of “purchasing” this building. Please note: we don’t want to talk about money right now, as that’s always an easy excuse. Keep in mind that there are alternate funding sources, such as grants, that are available for these types of programs. So, money is the least of the barriers.
In short, we need to dream BIG and actually DO for the children of San Benito. Innovating for our children drives this vision. Believe me, our students and parents are depending us to create exciting educational opportunities in the Resaca City.
I feel compelled to remind the community that we already have outstanding programs being offered to our students, such as providing them with higher education opportunities, including dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment classes.
Students in our district also take advantage of a plethora of class offerings via the Career and Technical Education Program, which offer students certification in various areas of career interests. The Stonewall Jackson proposal – the Hospitality Instruction Hotel – would provide students with similar opportunities in their chosen field of study. These programs would assist us in continuing our efforts to attract students to our district, thus increasing our enrollment.
In closing, I look forward to serving you as the district’s leader. There remains much work to do in the area of improving test scores and overall curriculum delivery. This will take time. But trust me, if we truly work together, we will accomplish great things for the children of San Benito.
My vision is to make San Benito CISD the “premiere” district not only in the Rio Grande Valley, but also in the entire state of Texas!
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14 comments
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To Question: “what’s your point”… I have no need to explain it to you.
Francine,
Your answer explains alot. Thank you.
This article brings to light the obvious. Dating back to the years the graph illustrates, Yliana, Fatima, Julian, & June became board members and pushed to take away powers (including budget and budget spending responsibilities) from the Superintendent and be in charge of them. Opinions can sway left and right, but this is no coincidence. Let’s be honest. They failed to do what’s best for the SBCISD. And who was the one that had heavy pull over these board members and made money/deals throughout this time? Just take a guess…
In the shadows lurk the other 3 board members (Oscar, Ana, and Hector) during this time that sat back and let all this happen. They let the others have the control and take fire, credit too, for the activities going on. Yes. Sat back. Let all this happen. Didn’t do enough to prevent all this. They failed as board members too.
Mr. Ocha has a great point that none of these board members are being held accountable for all this. They wanted the duty. They wanted the responsibility. But they are not being held accountable for their actions.
Zorrillo,
Nice try. By no mean would I EVER defend Ana or Oscar, but what do you expect the 3 board members to do? If you can count, they were out voted at everything 4-3. There is nothing really they could do. Once something is voted on you can not change it.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Francine: What’s your point?
This newly elected board(2014) brought back Limon and gave him a 2 year extension just to force him to retire. The board realized what kind of leader and work ethic Limon has and now his on a paid vacation till he finishes his state vacation days.. It will come close to $50k. Word at the coffee shop is the board can’t stand Limon, now!! It’s simple people ask Arnold Padilla, Angel Mendez, Yiliana Gonzalez and Fatima Huerta if like support Limon? The problem I see is Ana Cruz along with Rosalinda Gracia talked about saving/protecting tax dollars and they turned around spent it like we where a financially stable district. Ana Cruz is up for election and she will lose… By the way, she’s a Tumberlison puppet just like Rosalinda Garcia and Oscar Medrano!!
Good luck, new superintendent. Welcome to San Benito; none of this is new news!! You can thank every single board member because not one has not asked for a favor. Just ask them…. Oh wait, you work for all 7 of them
The SBCISD School Board over the past few years took away several responsibilities from the Superintendent and made them their own. School Board positions are not first priority jobs to the members that hold them. They have jobs (some require a degree and some do not) of their own that come before their job as a school board member. This is becoming more and more evident with reports such as this one – bad decisions by school board members who are ultimately not held accountable for their actions. And who ends up suffering? The students, faculty/staff, and taxpayers of the SBCISD. It’s absolutely ridiculous, unfortunate, and sad. I applaud you Dr. Puig for trying to do something to improve the SBCISD and make it a better place all around. I applaud your willingness to be a leader and stand up for the SBCISD and not be afraid of the opinions many will have throughout the city. It’s about time.
“…such things are essential to improving our organization. This is the way we do business now.” – Dr. Puig
Well said.
Why not focus on the students need to read,write,and do simple mathematical calculations.These kids really appear to me to be lacking in these areas.Most stand no chance of passing the SAT or ACT college entrance exams,let alone compete against other high school seniors.Why can’t the schools work on the basics,and not worry over some vocational elective courses,as the Stonewall Jackson might end up providing,some day.
The city of San Benito leaders were the ones that got themselves into this Stonewall Jackson mess,now let them use their own wise skills to get out of it.Don’t even consider bringing the school system into it,they have a full plate as it is.And all this stuff does cost money,somebody pays,ultimately the taxpayers,us.Its not free,grants come from someone providing money,or the government coffers,it all winds back to the taxpayer.Leave the SWH out of this.
It’s typical that no board member commented in the paper about our district financial crisis. Of course everyone will blame Mr.Limon and rightfully so, but board members should be held accountable for hiring their BFF’s, family members and for political favors. For example, Oscar Medrano is notorious for Micro-managing and pushing his weight for political favors and than you have Ana Cruz who just recently pushed extremely hard for her educational program at $1 million dollars; meanwhile, we have no money for raises.. These are just a few examples of the wasteful nature of these board members have allowed. We need Ana Cruz out and the super needs to held accountable ..! 2015 can’t come fast enough…
Don’t forget all the favors, job hirings, job transfers, and pay raises Yliana, Julian, and June are responsible for while they were school board members.
Get real, Limon was suspended the entire year that the fund balance went down. Look at the other four years when he was in charge the fund balance was healthy. The two interim superintendents let the majority four at the time do whatever they wanted with the insurance. Great job, Gonzalez, Huerta, Huerta, and Chuyita.
Get Real – I agree.