Seguin ISD board adopts budget amendment, certifies instructional materials; delays stipend schedule decision

At its April meeting Seguin ISD's board of trustees approved a set of budget amendments and certified the district's instructional materials allotment (IMA) for the coming school year, while deferring a contentious change to the district's stipend schedule.

Board action and votes - The board approved proposed budget amendments intended to reduce the district's projected deficit by roughly $1.5 million. The motion passed 6-0. - Trustees certified the district's instructional materials allotment (IMA/TEA certification) for the 2025-26 school year, a routine annual action that confirms the district provides curriculum that covers state standards; the motion passed 6-0. - After extended discussion about athletic and fine-arts stipends ' particularly a long-standing practice that paid some coaches extra "days" ' trustees voted to postpone final action on the proposed 2025-26 stipend schedule so staff can provide more detail; that postponement passed 5-1. - The consent agenda (minutes, tax reports, donations, third-quarter investment report, long-term audit contract, purchases over $50,000, an anti-truancy resolution and Public Information Act log) passed as a single action, 6-0.

Budget details presented Finance staff summarized revenue and expenditure shifts that prompted the amendment. The presentation said assigned fund balance used in the prior year had been reduced substantially (staff reported a move from about $11.7 million in assigned fund balance to roughly $2.9 million in the current planning), and that the district's revenue picture improved in part because of increased Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding.

CTE and other revenue changes Finance staff said CTE revenue grew after the district expanded CTE course offerings and practicum options. The presentation listed CTE funding figures from recent years and said that, as of the most recent reporting period, CTE-related funding had increased (staff cited an increase in reported CTE allotment compared with the prior year). Staff also reported small increases in attendance-driven state funding and in special education and bilingual funding; federal reimbursements (SHARS) were adjusted downward to reflect more conservative collection estimates.

Expenditure adjustments and pressures Trustees were told several functions required larger appropriations this year: special education (contracted services and diagnostician support), transportation (overtime related to extended routes and ACE service), maintenance (including a significant chiller/repair incident at Vogel), and security services. The presentation also discussed a shared-services arrangement (SSA) with Luling ISD for special education placement and noted the district was continuing to reconcile costs and revenue for that agreement.

Instructional materials certification The district certified its instructional materials allotment under the TEA process (House Bill 1605), confirming campus materials cover the TEKS for each grade and subject and listing current adoptions: for example, the board packet noted Amplify ELA for middle school ELA and Navigate Texas for middle school social studies (Navigate Texas is the TEA-approved social-studies program for the grades noted). The certification requires a board vote and signatures.

Stipend schedule debate Human-resources staff brought a recommended stipend schedule and a proposal to eliminate a legacy practice that paid certain athletics and other staff extra contract "days" in addition to stipends. Trustees, coaches and other board members said they wanted more analysis before final approval, with concerns raised about retention and equity for fine-arts staff, special-education caseloads and other hard-to-fill roles. District leaders said some stipend lines will increase under the new proposal while removing extra-day payments would reduce payments for a subset of longer-tenured coaches. The board postponed the item to gather additional input from the athletics director, the incoming fine-arts coordinator and campus principals.

Closed-session outcomes The board met in closed session on personnel and legal matters under provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act. In open session the board: authorized the superintendent to take actions discussed in the closed session regarding a contemplated settlement (vote recorded as passing with five in favor and one abstention) and approved an employment-agreement extension for an employee discussed in closed session (vote 6-0). The board did not disclose details of personnel deliberations beyond the formal votes required.

Why it matters The budget amendment and certification shape classroom funding and the district's fiscal trajectory ahead of the 2025-26 school year. The stipend discussion touches coaching, fine-arts and special-education staffing ' areas trustees cited as important to student programs and employee retention. Trustees asked staff to return with more detailed cost and workload information before finalizing stipend changes.

Next steps Trustees directed staff to return with further analysis on stipends, to finalize any remaining budget adjustments before fiscal year end and to provide the board with contractual updates related to shared services and bond defeasance planning.