Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the District Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harlingen CISD finances: board hears $4.6M+ in operational savings, enrollment steady at 16,700 and grants pipeline
Summary
Finance and planning committee reviewed multiple cost-saving measures totaling multi‑millions, reported current enrollment of about 16,700 with ADA ~4,700, previewed preliminary tax-rate components and proposed consolidating food-service accounting into the general fund.
Harlingen CISD’s finance and planning committee reported a series of budget-management steps, a multi-million-dollar savings tally and an update on enrollment, projected revenues and the district’s grant pipeline during the June 16 meeting.
Committee presenters said the district implemented recurring oversight and procurement changes this fiscal year — consultant-contract reviews, software-license consolidation, security-cost adjustments, earlier instructional spending deadlines and real-time budget adjustments — that together yielded large operational savings and improved cash-flow management. Staff also previewed a proposed change that would move food-service operations from a special revenue fund into the general fund for fiscal year 2025–26.
Mister Liao (finance chair) and business-office staff briefed trustees on specific savings: consultant-agreement reviews produced approximately $1.7 million in savings; consolidated software licensing yielded about $1.1 million; security changes and safety-grant usage reduced costs by about $1.3 million; earlier instructional spending deadlines freed $569,000 for summer needs; and ongoing real-time budget adjustments accounted for roughly $1.9 million in fiscal-year savings.
On enrollment the district reported approximately 16,700 students and an average daily attendance (ADA) figure near 4,700 for fiscal 2025; staff said they met their budgeted target but fell short of a 94.5% ADA goal, finishing near 93% as of the report. Trustees asked staff to analyze post-pandemic enrollment declines and to pursue outreach to families who remain in homeschool or otherwise outside the district.
Staff also discussed projected property-tax revenues and state legislation. The committee noted the current fiscal year maintenance-and-operations tax rate is 0.7552 and the interest-and-sinking component is 0.1630; that combination produces a total tax rate of approximately 0.9182 under current calculations. District staff said they were preparing revenue models under two scenarios: current law versus potential changes if House Bill 2 is signed by the governor — staff said Governor Abbott has until June 22 to sign the measure.
The business office proposed moving the food-service fund (Fund 240) into Fund 101 (general fund), saying most peer districts already consolidate food-service accounting into the general fund when the district operates universal free meals; Harlingen currently provides free breakfast and lunch and would maintain the same operational transparency after the move.
Grant-writing staff were also recognized: staff said the grants office brought in $10 million last year and has recorded about $6.7 million so far this fiscal year, with additional pending applications on the table. The committee highlighted a new $160,000 award announced the same day for teacher-residency work supported by philanthropic and TEA partnerships.
The committee will present a proposed tax-rate notice and the fiscal-year 2025–26 budget timeline at upcoming meetings; staff said final valuations will not be available until July and that the district’s auditors will begin the external audit in mid‑July after fiscal-year closeout.
