Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
PSJA ISD adopts 2025–26 budget, lowers tax rate and approves state-mandated teacher pay increases
Summary
Pharr‑San Juan‑Alamo ISD trustees on Aug. 18 approved a balanced 2025–26 budget, adopted a 1.011 tax rate and implemented pay increases that follow new state legislation, while speakers at public comment urged continued support for staff.
Pharr‑San Juan‑Alamo Independent School District trustees adopted the district’s recommended 2025–26 budget and set a total property tax rate of $1.011 per $100 of assessed value at the board meeting Aug. 18 at PSJ North Early College High School.
The budget vote followed a public hearing and passed unanimously. The board also approved the statutory “no-new-revenue” procedural language required for tax‑rate adoption; trustees later voted 7–0 to adopt the proposed 1.011 rate, a half‑cent reduction from the previous year’s total rate while reflecting increased property values.
The budget presentation by Becky Gonzales, assistant superintendent for finance, said the district planned the balanced budget on a projected enrollment of 29,613 and an average daily attendance (ADA) assumption of 28,001.24. Certified taxable value provided to the district by county appraisal was stated in the presentation as $6,000,000,007.96 — an approximate 3% increase from 2024 — and the district used that current value in state funding calculations.
Gonzales told the board the recommended 2025–26 package reflects new state rules enacted in the 2025 legislative session. Under the presentation, the state funding formula requires tiered raises for classroom teachers: $2,500 for teachers with three to fewer than five years of experience and $5,000 for teachers with five or more years of experience. The district included those state amounts and added district-level adjustments: a new starting teacher salary of $59,312.50; a 3% midpoint increase for other professional campus positions not covered by the state raises; a 3% midpoint increase for exempt employees; a 4% midpoint increase for nonexempt employees; and continuation of a $350 winter discretionary pay stipend.
Gonzales also said the district budgeted a per‑employee monthly health‑insurance employer cost increase described in the presentation as rising from $7.50 to $8.25 per employee per month (presenter: “the employer cost is $8.25 per employee per month”); the presentation estimated that health‑insurance changes would cost roughly $4 million to the district for 2025–26.
Speakers during the public comment portion emphasized support for pay raises and praised district leadership. Joseph Martinez, speaking on behalf of local teacher organization representatives, thanked the board and the superintendent for what he called “generous and thoughtful” past decisions that supported staff. Adnan (Hernan/Adnan in the record) Cortez, also speaking for local teacher groups, cited district stability — “we continue to serve approximately 30,000 students year after year” — and called the district a model for compensation and retention. Retired educator Michael Sweet urged trustees to be proud of district stewardship and the decision to preserve a balanced budget while supporting employees.
Gonzales’s presentation itemized district revenue drivers and risks: roughly 84% of spending is salaries and benefits; the district expects state revenues to remain tied to ADA; local property tax revenue remains the principal local source; and federal and grant sources were shown as preliminary. The budget package includes the district’s plan for accelerated‑instruction funding (summer programs) and allocations for building maintenance, child nutrition and instructional programs.
Trustees approved the budget package in the meeting’s regular order. The board also conducted the statutorily required public hearing on the budget before the approval vote.
What happens next: The board’s adoption sets the tax rate and the budget that guides spending for 2025–26. The presentation noted the district will continue to monitor enrollment, attendance and state funding changes and bring any required amendments back to the board.
(Reporting note: figures and legislative references — HB3, HB1209 and HB2 as cited during the meeting presentation — are reported here as they were described to the board in the Aug. 18 presentation and public discussion.)
