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United ISD staff outline 2025 budget process, legislative priorities including funding formula and mental‑health allotments
Summary
Administrators reported on early budget planning, meetings with state legislators and priority requests such as shifting from ADA to enrollment funding, mental‑health funding and special‑education funding changes; staff warned of potential school‑choice legislation and voucher proposals being discussed at the Legislature.
District administrators updated trustees on the 2025–26 budget process and shared recent meetings with state legislators to press United ISD priorities, including a request to shift from average daily attendance (ADA) funding to enrollment funding, additional mental‑health funding, and changes to special‑education funding and transportation rates.
"We were able to meet with 3 legislators, and we passed out our legislative priorities for our school district," Laila Benavides, chief financial officer, said during the workshop. Staff described raising issues including anti‑vaping funding, mental‑health allotments, and the desire for a more intensity‑based special‑education funding model.
Administrators also briefed trustees on bills and proposals affecting districts statewide. Benavides and other staff said they are monitoring proposed property‑tax relief measures, possible changes to funding formulas, and pending legislation on school choice and education savings accounts. Dr. Cruz noted Governor Greg Abbott’s State of the State address, which identified property‑tax relief, increased teacher pay and expanded career training among emergency items; trustees said they will track voucher proposals and related Senate and House activity.
Staff said they are awaiting updated finance templates and revenue factors from the legislature, and that central administration is reviewing staffing requests and department priorities in preparation for summer budget planning. Administrators said they will run revenue scenarios as bills become more concrete and return numbers to the board as the session progresses.
No board action was taken; staff said they will continue modeling impacts for the summer budgeting cycle.
