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Taylor ISD bond projects progress; district begins budget workshops and calendar outreach
Summary
District staff updated trustees on bond construction milestones and project schedules, reported contingency and scope items (including added security bollards), and outlined the timeline for 2025-26 budget planning and a community calendar survey process.
A district facilities update and a district budget workshop were presented to the Taylor ISD Board of Trustees Jan. 27, detailing progress on bond-funded construction projects, scope additions and the district's approach to the 2025-26 budget.
Facilities staff reported that the MSC additions and high-school projects are underway, the new gym and cafeteria are occupied, and that the district added safety-and-security items to project scopes including bollards at entrances. The facilities overview said asbestos abatement and other punch-list items remain at a small number of campuses.
The presenter said furniture shipments are scheduled around spring break, and that welding and CTE spaces are being reconfigured to move programs into new additions. A completed 2022 bond of $82,000,000 was referenced as the funding source for the described work.
On budget, staff presented how Texas's school funding model mixes local property tax revenue, state Tier 1 and Tier 2 allotments and federal funds. The presenter explained the district is in the state's recapture group (property-wealthy districts) and described the difference between "golden pennies" (8 cents not subject to recapture) and copper pennies (subject to recapture).
A calendar-and-survey timeline was outlined: staff said they sent a survey to stakeholders in November, will take narrowed options to the DEIC (District Educational Improvement Committee) for review and plan to bring a final recommendation to the board in February. Staff also said they examined a possible four-day week option but do not yet have sufficient data to propose an immediate change.
On the budget projections, staff presented current-year adjustments and an end-of-year projection based on existing enrollment and average daily attendance data. They said the district will continue audits of purchase orders and return unspent funds to the program to net a target of zero overrun, and planned a multi-hour budgeting session the following day.
One facilities speaker noted a priority list will be used to allocate any deductive change-order savings back into district priorities once exact figures are available.
Ending: Trustees were invited to ask follow-up questions offline, and staff committed to biweekly tracking of project budgets and to continued engagement with principals and department leaders in the budget process.
