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Belton ISD warns of a $2.5M shortfall for 2026–27 as temporary state aid expires
Summary
District staff told trustees at a Nov. 17 workshop that a roughly $2.5 million projected deficit for 2026–27 assumes no pay increases and the loss of temporary 'disaster pennies' that helped balance 2025–26; trustees prioritized protecting a 20% fund balance while weighing capital and compensation tradeoffs.
Belton ISD staff told trustees at a Nov. 17 workshop that the district is projecting roughly a $2.5 million deficit for fiscal year 2026–27, assuming no changes to staff compensation and the expiration of temporary state aid known locally as "disaster pennies." Melissa Lafferty, who led the budget timeline presentation, said the 2627 estimate is preliminary and depends on refining state funding templates and attendance data in coming months.
The workshop recapped a multi‑year fiscal turnaround: the district confronted a roughly $10 million shortfall in mid‑2024, absorbed a $1.3 million cut after a Medicaid cost‑report adjustment and added about $1 million in costs after a late legislative requirement for armed campus security. Lafferty said the district implemented roughly $13.1 million in reductions — including…
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