Carrollton‑Farmers Branch ISD trustees met in special session on Aug. 21, 2025, and voted to set a tax rate of 0.9481 per $100 of assessed value and to release a previously committed fund balance from the district's state revenue stabilization reserve. The board also had a motion on the table to approve the district's proposed 2025–26 budget, which administration presented as including a $6,000,000 budgeted deficit in the General Operating Fund and balanced Student Nutrition and Debt Service funds.

The budget matters because they determine how the district will allocate operating dollars, implement teacher pay increases mandated by the recent legislative actions, and manage debt service for long‑term construction projects. Trustees and staff said the board's decisions are intended to align resources to student outcomes and to stabilize the district's finances in light of recent state policy changes.

Miss Settle, the district staff member who presented the budget materials, summarized the legal and fiscal context and cited Texas Education Code sections 44.001 6.006 and Texas Tax Code chapter 26 as the statutory framework for the budget and tax‑rate process. She told the board that the 89th Texas Legislature enacted changes that affect local revenue: an increase in the homeowner homestead exemption (Senate Bill 4) and an increase in the additional exemption for a person who is disabled or age 65 or older (Senate Bill 23), both contingent on voter approval of related constitutional amendments this November. She also noted a large state investment in teacher pay described in the presentation as "over $8,000,000,000" statewide and said the basic allotment per student was increased (presentation language recorded in the meeting).

On district finances, Settle said the proposed General Operating Fund shows a $6,000,000 deficit while administration identified strategic reductions of about $8,000,000 across the budget to help close gaps. She said the district will cover restricted and unrestricted revenue streams separately: the maintenance and operations (M&O) portion supports day‑to‑day school operations while the interest and sinking (I&S) portion supports bond debt service and "cannot be used for anything related to the general fund," language she used during the presentation.

Trustees asked questions about specific expenditures. A trustee requested clarification of Function 41 (general administration) because that line item increased; Settle explained staff discovered coding errors in the adopted 2024–25 budget and made transfers between object and function codes consistent with applicable accounting guidance (presenter referenced the district's financial accounting guidance during the meeting). She also described personnel pay actions contained in the proposal: funding the teacher pay increases tied to the legislative package and a 2% "off‑midpoint" raise for other employees (as stated in the presentation).

Student Nutrition operations were described in detail. Settle said the Student Nutrition Fund is projected to balance despite rising food and labor costs and that consolidation efforts included closing four kitchens; she noted the nutrition program served "over 1,000,000 breakfasts and 2,700,000 lunches" last year, as stated in the presentation.

Formal board actions recorded in the meeting included:
- A motion and vote to adopt a resolution to release the committed fund balance in the state revenue stabilization fund; the motion was moved by Randy Schachman, seconded by Paul Gilmore, and the board recorded the vote as 6 in favor, 0 opposed. (Resolution language was in the meeting packet.)
- A motion and vote to set the 2025 tax rate at 0.9481 per $100, moved by Marjorie Barnes and seconded by Eliana Garza Rojas; trustees stated the motion "carries" and the board announced the motion carried. In discussion the board characterized that rate as a 3.069% decrease from the prior year and presented the adopted split as 0.7481 for M&O and 0.20 for I&S, per the adopted motion.
- A motion to approve the proposed 2025–26 budget (item 5B) was made during the meeting (transcript: "I move to approve 5B"); the provided transcript records the motion but does not include a roll call or vote count for that specific motion in the excerpt supplied.

Board members and administration emphasized ongoing monitoring and transparency. Trustees thanked finance staff and campus and department leaders for multi‑year work on compliance, coding corrections and streamlining budgets. Settle recommended adopting the budgets and tax rates in accordance with statutory requirements and the board said members should review the earlier board meeting materials for additional graphs and context referred to during discussion.

What happened next: the board moved on to subsequent agenda items after adopting the tax rate and the reserve release resolution and after the budget motion was placed on the table; no further substantive budget amendments or follow‑up assignments were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.

The meeting opened at 6:00 p.m. and adjourned at 6:24 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2025.