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Godley ISD adopts 2025–26 budget, board approves tax rate at legal maximum
Summary
Godley Independent School District trustees held a public hearing on the 2025–26 budget, discussed bond payment timing, food-service shortfalls and lunch debt, then approved the budget and proposed tax rate, voting 6–1 to adopt the plan that uses the district's maximum allowable rate without voter approval.
Trustees of the Godley Independent School District approved the district's 2025'26 budget at a regular meeting after a public hearing that addressed bond-payment timing, food-service shortfalls and lunch debt.
Spencer, a district staff member who presented the budget, told the board the next bond payment is due in August 2025 and that the district makes semiannual bond payments in February and August. "Their recommendation was that we accrue the August expense in the 24–25 school year so that we have 2 payments in every single year," Spencer said, explaining how the district timed payments to even out fiscal-year costs.
The board also discussed food service revenues and unpaid meal charges. Spencer said the district budgets showed a projected use of the food-service fund balance. He said some previous donor payments covered small outstanding balances and that the district carries "0 to $25" unpaid accounts for about a year before writing them off as bad debt. In response to a board question, Spencer said the district's exposure for small unpaid meal charges in one explanation equaled about $1,516,000 for certain balances discussed during the hearing.
Miss Lane, a board member who participated in the public hearing, argued the district was proposing a tax rate of 1.2722, which she said "is the maximum tax rate that our district can charge without a voter-approved election." She urged the board to consider further budget cuts while protecting teacher raises and pointed to state funding increases as a reason to seek the no-new-revenue rate. Other trustees and staff explained constraints on how some state funds may be coded and spent and the small share of the overall budget that is discretionary beyond payroll and classroom costs.
At the business meeting, Trustee Terry moved to approve the 2025'26 budget as presented; Trustee Salome seconded. The board voted to approve the budget, with the motion passing 6 to 1. A board member stated they would vote no because the budget relies on the maximum allowable tax rate of 1.2722, which exceeds the no-new-revenue rate.
Spencer confirmed that amounts the district may later receive from the state for teacher raises are not included in the adopted budget and will be handled by budget amendment once the district receives certified figures and any restrictions.
The board had opened the public hearing earlier in the meeting and closed it before moving to superintendent reports and other agenda items.
The approved budget takes effect July 1, 2025; the board discussed that the district must wait for certified property values before adopting a final tax rate in August, but the proposed rate approved with the budget equals the legal maximum the district cited in the hearing.
