Northside trustees set Aug. 26 hearing; finance staff warn of shortfalls, table TEA recapture action

The Northside Board of Trustees voted July 22 to set a public hearing for Aug. 26 on the district’s proposed 2025–26 budget and tax rate, while pausing action on a Texas Education Agency notice about ‘‘local revenue in excess of entitlement.’nFinance staff told trustees the TEA letter assumes the district has adopted all discretionary "copper pennies" above the statewide compressed rate and therefore shows possible recapture liability; the district does not plan a voter‑approved tax‑rate election now.nJake Smiley, the district’s director of budget, said, "We are not going to send any money back to the State. We will not have excess revenue this year in 2526."nWhy it matters: Trustees were shown a multi‑year projection that officials said has improved in recent months but still shows a fiscal gap. Administration figures presented at the meeting showed an estimated $91 million deficit for the current fiscal year (ending Aug. 31) as of the latest projection, a projected $22…