RUNGE, Texas — On Friday, Runge ISD announced a new cellphone policy for students in their high school.
Students may use their cellphones during the school year, during passing periods and during lunch if the average daily attendance rate of Runge High School stays above 95 percent. If the average drops below 95 percent, cellphone privileges will be taken away until the overall average is above 95 percent.
"In the past cellphones have not been allowed to be used in our district but right now we are facing some unprecedented times," said Hector Dominguez, superintendent of Runge ISD. "As the superintendent, I have to find ways that we're going to continue to fund the projects and servicing our students."
Since 2019, Texas has not increased its public school funding. Many districts across the state are currently having conversations about which programs should be prioritized as they grapple with budget cuts.
Superintendent Dominguez explains he was transparent about the district's financial situation to his superintendent student advisory board.
"I know that by improving attendance, I'm going to improve the amount of money that we get from the state of Texas, and the students brought up the idea of, 'hey, let's let's look at cellphones,'" he said.
According to Dominguez, with perfect attendance, the Texas legislature pays almost $6,160 per student.
"Just by improving our attendance rate at Runge High School by 1%, that can generate an additional $15,670 for ESD, which is very huge for a small rural district like ours," he said.
Runge High School has just about 76 students. Dominguez believes the goal is doable given how close the students attendance rates were last year.
"Just at the end of this past school year, Runge High School ended the 2023-2024 school year with an attendance rate of 94.12%," Dominquez explained.
The district knows that cellphone privileges in schools is controversial. Oklahoma, Kansas, Vermont, Ohio, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, have all introduced similar legislation restricting cellphones in schools across the state, as reported by CNN. Dominguez hopes cellphone privileges in schools remain up to individual school boards and superintendents.
"One of the arguments that you hear all of the time is that the students don't know how to use cellphones," he said. "Well, the cellphone is the way that we communicate, and it's not going away. We need to train our students how to use the cellphone properly, so that it doesn't get them in trouble in the future."
With just a little extra effort, Dominguez believes Runge High School students could benefit future generations.
"As a superintendent, I have to think outside of the box so that I can protect the taxpayer money here at Runge ISD easily,” Dominguez said.
If expectations for cellphones is violated, the cellphone will be turned in to campus administration. A charge of $15 will be required to get the phone back at the end of the school day.