College Station ISD adopts 2025–26 budgets; board adopts general fund, debt service and child nutrition budgets

College Station Independent School District trustees on June 17, 2025 adopted the legally required 2025–26 budgets for child nutrition, debt service and the general fund, with administrators warning of timing-related deficits and pending adjustments tied to TEA-certified numbers.

What the board adopted

- Child nutrition budget: Proposed revenue and expenditures presented as balanced at roughly $9.0 million (presentation figure $9,000,007.99; transcript discussion by district budget staff). The district said it does not plan an increase in student meal prices this year but flagged a loss of approximately $500,000 annually that the program had received for COVID-related supply-chain support.

- Debt service fund: Trustees adopted a debt service budget showing a roughly $2.0 million deficit driven by timing changes tied to the district’s fiscal-year shift. Administrators explained the district is collecting taxes across payment cycles (levies that cover February and August payments) and that an August 2025 payment is substantially larger than an August 2026 payment; the apparent deficit, they said, reflects timing rather than an ongoing revenue shortfall.

- General fund: Trustees approved a proposed general fund budget of about $156 million in revenue and about $158 million in expenditures (presentation numbers: revenue $156,003,535; expenditures $158,170,260). The administration said the budget is based on current interpretations of House Bill 2 and preliminary TEA guidance; the staff noted enrollment decline assumptions (approximately 1.4 percent) and that certified property valuations and homestead exemptions (the transcript noted a 140,000 homestead exemption assumption) may change final compressions and tax-rate choices.

Legal and timing notes

Presenters reminded the board that state law requires adoption of the legally designated budgets no later than July 1 to permit expenditures tied to the new fiscal year. Heather Wilson, the district presenter for budget items, told trustees: "By law, we're required to adopt these by July 1, no later than, or we cannot expend anything, therefore, we can't pay anybody. So that's kind of important that we kinda get this done in June."

Key budget details raised during discussion

- Child nutrition: No meal-price increase proposed; staff reduced expenditures to offset the loss of federal COVID-era supply funding. - Debt service: The $2 million deficit is temporary and attributable to the shift in the district’s fiscal year and to the relative sizes of August 2025 versus August 2026 payments; administrators said they will monitor certified valuations and may propose a later amendment. - General fund: The district structured salary increases conservatively in the budget (worst-case Plan F scenario presented) and said it will file required TEA submissions once certified counts and valuations are available; administrators said a budget amendment in August/September is likely after certified numbers arrive.

Board action and vote

Trustee McAdams moved to adopt the proposed budgets and Trustee Iggy seconded. The motion passed 6-0.

What happens next

Administration will file adopted budgets with TEA and present any necessary August/September budget amendments that result from final certified property valuations, homestead exemption decisions and final TEA HB2 guidance. Trustees were told the district will continue monitoring fund balances and cash timing to ensure operations remain funded.

Ending

The board adopted the child nutrition, debt service and general fund budgets on June 17, 2025 with an accompanying request from administrators to revisit allocations after TEA-certified revenues and counts are finalized.