The Alief Independent School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 26 adopted the district’s 2025–26 fiscal year budget and approved a tax rate of $1.0072 per $100 of assessed value, voting 6–0 to approve the measures.

District leaders presented the budget at a public hearing before the vote. Emily Littlefield, the district chief financial officer, described the total as roughly $566.7 million and said the plan covers the general fund, debt service and child nutrition. Under the adopted plan, general fund expenditures are projected at about $485.6 million, debt service $46.4 million and food service $33.7 million.

The board also adopted a maintenance-and-operations rate of 0.8022 per $100 and an interest-and-sinking (debt service) rate of 0.205 per $100, for a combined tax rate of 1.0072 for the 2025 tax year. The motion to set the tax rate was made by Trustee Lily Truong and seconded by Trustee Janet Spurlock; the vote was 6–0 in favor.

Why it matters: district staff said the budget balances staff raises approved by the Legislature, retention and recruitment bonuses and school operating needs while absorbing a certified property-value estimate that fell from July projections. CFO Littlefield told the board the certified estimate of taxable values dropped to roughly $18.8 billion from an earlier July estimate of just over $20 billion, primarily because of revised homestead-exemption guidance from the Legislature.

Administration acknowledged enrollment uncertainty. The budget is built on a projected enrollment in the 38,300–38,400 range; Littlefield and Deputy Superintendent Charles Woods reported that, as of the morning of Aug. 26, actual counts were roughly 1,900 students below the projection. Littlefield said the district will monitor attendance and other revenue drivers and that any shortfall in projected state funding tied to attendance would be covered, if needed, from fund balance. She noted the district is intentionally planning for modest deficits in some enterprise funds—specifically a planned food-service deficit of about $1.4 million to replace serving lines at two campuses.

District officials emphasized the board’s decision to keep the debt-service rate flat at 20.5 cents (0.205) for another year to avoid raising taxpayers’ bills further this year. Littlefield said the district has sufficient fund balance to maintain that rate temporarily but warned the rate may need to rise in future years to cover bond-related obligations if projections change.

Public and board discussion: Ron Cox, representing Alief TSTA, questioned whether rising fund balances could be used to create classroom discretionary funds or expand stipends. Littlefield and Woods explained the current fund balance grew during and after the COVID years as a deliberate step to preserve staffing and to cover enrollment volatility; they said using those reserves to smooth operations prevented staff reductions despite enrollment declines after the pandemic. Woods and Littlefield said the board could consider classroom funds or stipend changes in future budget cycles but must weigh priorities amid fixed costs and legislative constraints.

The board moved from the hearing to approval without additional amendment. Trustee Truong made the motion to approve the fiscal-year budget as presented; Trustee Spurlock seconded. The motion carried 6–0, with no abstentions.

Looking ahead: administration and board members said they will continue monthly monitoring of enrollment, attendance-driven revenue and fund-balance projections and will report adjustments as needed during the fiscal year.