Castleberry ISD board adopts 2025–26 budgets, publishes tax rate at ceiling as officials warn numbers may change

The Castleberry Independent School District Board of Education voted 6-0 to adopt the district's proposed 2025–26 general fund, child nutrition and debt-service budgets and to publish the tax rate at the legal ceiling, district financial staff said.

The move fulfills the statutory requirement to approve the budget at the function level while leaving room for adjustments after state guidance and July certified property values are final, Chief Financial Officer William Wooten told the board during a public hearing.

Wooten said the adopted package is built on current law and the district will return with amendments if clarifying guidance on recently passed legislation arrives. "By statute, the board must approve the budget at the function level," Wooten said. He also warned that "in July, based on this proposed budget, if it's adopted, we'll have to come back with amendments once we get more clarification about House Bill 2."

Key figures presented to the board show audited 2023–24 collections of roughly $44.6 million and expenditures of about $49.4 million, producing a net deficit of about $4.7 million in that year. For…