Georgetown ISD CFO outlines budget outlook, legislative risks and VATRE timeline

Jennifer Hannah, Georgetown ISD chief financial officer, told the board of trustees during a May 5 workshop that the district’s 2025–26 budget picture has improved slightly but remains contingent on pending state legislation and several moving parts.

Hannah said two bills she and district staff are following closely — Senate Bill 2 (a voucher/education savings account bill) and House Bill 2 (the main school funding bill) — could change district revenue but are not final. "Senate Bill 2 ... was passed by the house and the senate, and it was signed by the governor over the weekend," Hannah said, and she added that students would be eligible to begin using education savings accounts in the 2026–27 school year. On House Bill 2 she said, as written at the time of the workshop, "we would get a $395 increase in the basic allotment," though she cautioned the bill could change in the senate.

Until the legislature’s final actions are known, the district plans to adopt a compensation plan with the June budget adoption that can be amended later if state revenue materializes. "We will be adopting a compensation plan in June with the budget," Hannah said, adding that the plan could be amended in July if late legislative action provides more revenue.

Hannah walked trustees through updated budget assumptions and several quantitative details used to model 2025–26: a…