Socorro ISD presents preliminary FY 2025‑26 budget showing $7.8 million deficit; House Bill 2 funding may close gap

Socorro Independent School District staff presented the board a preliminary FY 2025‑26 budget on June 3 showing a $7.8 million projected deficit in the general fund and describing how recent state legislation could largely close that gap.

Mr. Solis, the district’s chief financial officer, told the board that House Bill 2 will “generate about 26,100,000 in new funding for our district,” but that roughly $17,900,000 of that total is restricted to specific uses under the law. “The silver lining is that a little more than 8,000,000 is available and may just be enough to help address the current shortfall in our general fund,” Solis said.

Solis reviewed the proposed operating budget and key assumptions: revenues projected to decline by about 3% because rising property values reduce state aid and because of a decline in student enrollment; expenditures projected to decrease by about 6% largely from staffing adjustments. He said district…