Canyon ISD trustees approve teacher, principal and staff pay increases after budget workshop; district warns of multi‑year deficit

CANYON, Texas — The Canyon ISD Board of Trustees on July 14 approved recommended salary increases for teachers, principals and other staff after a budget workshop that reviewed revenue projections, state funding changes and multi‑year deficit scenarios.

The trustees voted unanimously to adopt the administration’s proposal: a flat $5,000 step increase for teachers on step 5 and above, a $5,000 flat increase for principals (including associate and assistant principals), and a 2% increase for other staff calculated from each position’s midpoint. The board also approved a 10¢ increase in student meal prices, a quarterly investment report and several related budget items during the meeting.

The decision follows a detailed presentation by district finance staff about how state changes and local tax compressions affect Canyon ISD’s revenue. Leila, a district finance staff member who led the budget briefing, told trustees the district’s audited fund balance as of Aug. 31, 2024, was $50,756,024. She said the district’s required minimum reserve (20% of operating expenses) is about $23,000,000, leaving padding of roughly $27,756,000. Under a worst‑case scenario already presented in a June workshop, the district faces an approximately $10,000,000 deficit in 2025–26, which would cut available reserves sharply.

“If you take that padding amount of $27,756,000 and you minus the $24,256,000 deficit, that calculates out to a padding left of only $21,000,756,” Leila said during the workshop. She warned trustees that…