Duncanville ISD holds budget workshop; staff outline teacher pay scenarios and a $539,758 SHARS reduction

DUNCANVILLE, Texas — At a budget workshop Tuesday evening, Duncanville ISD finance staff presented preliminary fiscal forecasts for 2025–26, outlined compensation scenarios intended to keep teacher pay competitive and warned trustees of an immediate federal reimbursement reduction of $539,758 tied to School Health and Related Services (SHARS).

Dr. Lasonya Flowers, president of the Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees, presided over the meeting. Chief Financial Officer Miss Mayo led the presentation, saying, “I am happy tonight to present information on our first budget workshop.” The workshop covered a legislative update, budget assumptions and cost-containment measures the district will use as it prepares to adopt a budget in June.

The presentation highlighted favorable early movement in House Bill 2, including a reported proposed increase to the basic allotment to $6,555 per student. Miss Mayo said district staff were encouraged by bills that would raise compensatory, bilingual and fine arts allotment weights, and by proposed changes that could concentrate required salary increases toward teachers with 10 or more years’ experience. She cautioned the board that the district’s current budget models do not yet incorporate proposed legislative changes because bills are still being negotiated.

The finance presentation used conservative local assumptions: 3% taxable assessed value growth, a proposed tax rate of 1.1027, a demographer projection of 11,232 students and an expected average-daily-attendance (ADA) loss of about 308 students. Miss Mayo said the district is planning attendance outreach and incentives intended to improve ADA and thereby revenue.

On compensation, staff showed Duncanville’s starting teacher salary at $58,500 and a modeled $2,000 increase per teacher (raising the illustrative midpoint to about $60,500). Miss Mayo described the $2,000 figure as a planning estimate based on PEIMS counts and payroll projections: “This is a financial forecast only,” she said. Board members and staff said the $2,000 would be in addition to any statewide raise enacted by the Texas Legislature.

Trustees pressed for additional detail. Trustee Colton asked whether HR had performed a detailed staffing analysis tied to temporary campus closures and renovations; Miss Mayo and staff said that analysis is in progress and that April’s workshop will include more precise staffing and payroll impacts. Trustees also requested supplementary breakdowns of lumped line items (for example, renovation-related costs, program changes and central-office reductions) and clearer alignment of reductions across slides.

Miss Mayo warned of a near-term federal reimbursement liability related to SHARS: a letter from state or federal administrators required the district to repay $539,758 for prior years’ SHARS claims back to 2011. She said the district had contacted the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership and submitted questions by paper mail to seek clarification.

The presentation included fund-balance projections. After accounting for current-year estimated savings, vacancy savings, non-payroll savings and some ESSER transfers, staff estimated an end-of-year general fund balance near $10,500,000 and noted average monthly operating expenses of roughly $12,000,000. For 2025–26, the preliminary budget modeled a net deficit in the general fund in the range of about $17 million to $19 million before additional vacancy and non-payroll savings, with staff saying they expected the picture to improve as HR and revenue details are finalized.

The district also presented a preliminary nutrition services fund plan, describing a planned $1,800,000 spenddown tied to capital and equipment purchases under the previous rule; staff said the Texas Department of Agriculture’s rule change from three to six months of required fund balance would affect how future spenddowns are handled. The draft debt-service budget was prepared assuming 3% taxable value growth and was presented as a zero-impact plan pending final certified values.

Board members discussed recruitment and timing of compensation decisions. Dr. Goree told trustees the district aims for “fiscal stewardship and operational excellence” while remaining competitive on pay. Trustees raised trade-offs between posting salary schedules early to aid recruitment and waiting until legislative action and final revenue figures are known to avoid committing funds before state law is signed.

Miss Mayo closed by outlining the schedule: staff will return with further revenue analysis, staffing impacts and “raise scenarios” in April and May, and the board is scheduled to consider adoption of the 2025–26 budget and proposed tax rate at its regular meeting on June 16.

Ending: The board did not take budget action at the workshop; staff will return with more detailed scenarios and a staffing analysis in April before the board receives the public-notice materials required ahead of the June adoption vote.