Big Spring Independent School District trustees will discuss major personnel and financial matters when they hold a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. today in the high school board room.

Trustees are scheduled to discuss Superintendent Michael Downes' future with the district during the meeting, as well as conduct their annual budget workshop in preparation for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

The main action item on the agenda will be consultation with attorneys concerning an employment and/or separation agreement with Downes.

Downes, who has been superintendent at BSISD since 2002, was the subject of a complaint filed with the state educator certification board in 2007. Although details of the complaint have never been made public, it allegedly contains accusations of misconduct with students during a previous stop in his career.

This will mark the third time in the past year trustees will formally discuss Downes' standing with the district. They have gone on record in past meetings with statements of support for the district boss.

It is unknown if tonight's agenda item is directly tied to the complaint. Downes was unavailable for comment and other BSISD officials contacted declined to discuss the matter.

Downes, who came to Big Spring after serving as superintendent in Bovina for several years, is under contract to the local district through the 2009-2010 school district.

Aside from discussing Downes' future with the district, trustees will also take their first long look at the district's new budget.

Chief Financial Officer Sandra Waggoner said the budget will feature more than $28 million in expenditures, a decrease of about $200,000 from the previous year.

The major reason for the expenditure decrease is that the state has capped its aid to local districts at $4,554 per student —the same rate paid in 2005-2006. Therefore, the only way BSISD will receive increased state aid in the future is if the district attracts more students — and officials are not budgeting for that possibility, Waggoner said.

Also, the amount of state aid a district receives is inversely proportional to the amount of money it collects locally. With the district's estimated appraisals surpassing $1 billion this year, that means fewer state dollars reaching BSISD, she noted.

In other business, trustees will consider an update on plans for another bond election and address employments, retirements and resignations.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it