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Uvalde CISD debates budget cuts, stipend reductions and property sale as board seeks balanced budget
Summary
Trustees and district leaders discussed a multi-part plan to realign staffing and stipends to balance the 2025–26 budget, including proposing market adjustments to stipends, selling district property (Slate Creek) to rebuild fund balance, and phased staffing and pay changes; trustees asked administration to return with options and phasing.
Board members and district administrators spent an extended portion of the meeting debating proposed budget reductions for the 2025–26 fiscal year, including large changes to extracurricular stipends, adjustments to workdays and pay for certain positions, and the possibility of selling district property (Slate Creek) to restore fund balance.
Superintendent Colas presented the budget committee's recommendations and progress on administrative reductions, saying the committee had targeted $1.4 million in savings and reported, "Currently, we've reduced 1,900,000.0 for next year." Dr. Gutierrez, the HR lead, described efforts to move the HR function from a transactional model to a strategic model and outlined a series of pay, staffing and process changes related to recruitment, retention and pay equity.
The nut graf: trustees wrestled with how to balance fiscal sustainability, long-term fund balance rebuilding and immediate impacts on staff and extracurricular programs; several trustees urged caution about large stipend cuts and requested options to phase reductions and explore alternative revenue or property sales.
Discussion covered specific proposals and their community impact. Trustees raised concerns that steep stipend decreases could cause coaches and other activity leaders to leave, which would affect programs. Administration noted some stipends had been historically above market and recommended aligning to market medians; TASB market guidance (10% above/below median) informed some recommendations. Trustees asked for alternatives, including phased-in reductions and requests for more detailed comparisons with peer districts.
Superintendent Colas also described non-recurring options such as selling Slate Creek to build fund balance but cautioned that sales proceeds are not recurring revenue and cannot be relied on for ongoing operating costs. The board agreed to continue budget work at a July 10 budget workshop with additional scenario modeling and phased approaches to stipend and pay changes.
The board took separate actions during the meeting on personnel approved in closed session (personnel matters passed unanimously) and directed staff to return with more refined options rather than immediately adopting the largest stipend cuts across the board.
