Grapevine‑Colleyville ISD CFO outlines conservative budget plan as state funding remains uncertain

Chief Financial Officer David Johnson presented the Grapevine‑Colleyville Independent School District’s preliminary outlook for the 2025–26 budget, telling the Board of Trustees that the district faces a modest shortfall under current law and is planning conservatively while awaiting legislative action.

Johnson opened by framing state-level pressures on school finance, noting the basic allotment has stood at $6,160 per student since 2019. He said the district budgeted “a little over $140,000,000” for next year and that staffing accounts for roughly 87% of projected expenditures. “We saved approximately $2,200,000,” Johnson said of recent district actions to reduce costs, but he warned other revenue sources that helped this year are smaller or uncertain for 2025–26.

The presentation outlined several specific revenue and cost changes affecting next year’s budget. Johnson said a Texas Education Agency template change reduced a hold‑harmless payment tied to the over‑65 homestead exemption by about $2,000,000 this year; that hit was offset in the current year by roughly $2,000,000 in flood‑control payment receipts. He projected recapture (the state’s “Robin Hood” redistribution) near $36,000,000 for the current year and said recapture calculations for next year remain uncertain until final property values and tax rates are certified.

On scenarios tied to pending legislation,…