Edgewood ISD holds public hearing on $95.4 million 2025–26 budget, proposes 0.98625 tax rate
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Summary
Edgewood Independent School District held a public hearing June 12 on a proposed $95.4 million 2025–26 budget and a proposed tax rate of 0.98625; board members heard details about revenues, a planned deficit, child nutrition spending limits, and next steps tied to recent state legislation.
The Edgewood Independent School District School Board opened a public hearing June 12 to receive comment on the district’s proposed $95.4 million budget for 2025–26 and a proposed tax rate of 0.98625.
The public hearing, called by Board President Dr. James Hernandez, included a presentation from Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Mira Martinez outlining revenue and expenditure assumptions, impacts from recent state legislative action, and next steps before the board adopts a final budget and tax rate this fall.
Martinez told the board, “We started the budget with $3,600,000 of ESSER at the beginning of the year that helped to supplement the year's operations,” and said reductions in federal programs and declining enrollment have produced ongoing budget pressure. She said the district previously adopted a $103,300,000 budget for 2024–25 and has reduced that during the year to the $95,400,000 figure the board will consider for 2025–26.
The presentation showed projected operating revenue of about $84,000,000 and a general fund gap of about $11,400,000 under current funding formulas; Martinez said the district expects to draw down its fund balance and estimated a fund balance of about $14,000,000 heading into the next year. She described the child nutrition program as “by design” a deficit this year, saying the program will show a $692,000 deficit to comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture constraints on how much the district may carry in reserve.
Superintendent Dr. James Hernandez emphasized the district’s goal of increasing student participation in nutrition programs and explained why the child nutrition fund was planned to spend down: “The goal is what? Get more students to participate in the program.” He added that some allowable uses of child nutrition funds have included cafeteria furniture and kitchen equipment.
Martinez also flagged two legislative items that will affect final budget decisions: a recent increase in the homestead exemption to $140,000 and House Bill 2, which provides teacher compensation funding. She said the district expects teacher incentive allotment funds to grow — “the teacher incentive allotment has grown to $918,000” — but that state funding carries restrictions on allowable uses and does not fully cover benefits costs associated with raises.
Board members asked staff about timing and comparisons with other districts. Trustee Michael Valdez asked whether districts were simply adopting the state-directed raises or supplementing them; Martinez responded that districts are taking different approaches and that the district plans to bring a compensation plan and any needed budget amendments back to the board in August, with a final tax rate expected in September after property values are certified by the chief appraiser.
No budget or tax-rate vote was taken at the hearing. The board conducted the required procedural votes to open and close the hearing and to adjourn the meeting. The board will consider formal adoption of the fiscal 2025–26 budget and the tax rate at a future regular meeting after staff incorporates legislative guidance and certified property values.
Votes and motions recorded during the meeting included motions to open and close the public hearing and to adjourn; each motion carried by voice/hand vote.
