‘Perfect storm’: Financial struggles cause East Texas school district to cut $700K, defund programs

GILMER, Texas ( KETK ) – Union Hill ISD administration cleared up rumors on Thursday, explaining programs were defunded and $700,000 in personnel cuts had to be made in an effort to resolve their financial issues.

Interim superintendent John Booth said the school district was facing an extreme financial exigency of close to a $1 million in deficits back in February.

According to Booth, the school board brought him in for his 28 years of superintendent experience in order to help fix the districts finances.

“We’re going to fix the district, but in doing that we had to make extreme decisions and extreme cuts,” Booths said.

Booth said the following have been cut so far:

• The band program
• Elementary music program
• Six aids
• One custodian
• Two bus drivers
• One maintenance worker
• Two coaches
• One AG teacher

“That comes out to approximately $700,000 worth of cuts in personnel,” Booth said.

The following are programs that the district will no longer fund:

• Junior high cheerleaders
• Junior high baseball
• Golf
• Tennis
• Powerlifting
• Cross country
• Fishing
• One act play

Watch the video below for Booth’s full statement.

He said other programs will also be impacted as the level of funding will not be what it was in the past.

“There has not been any indication, none whatsoever, that there was any money stolen or lying or cheating going on in this situation. It’s just that a perfect storm happened,” Booth said. “Many different things came together at one time such as, some of the estimates that we made.”

Booth said they are fixing the problem to try and have a strong school next year.

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