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GISD budget update: deficit trimmed, enrollment and ADA bolster revenue but legislative uncertainty remains
Summary
Finance staff told trustees the prior $4.5M deficit was amended to about $900K due to higher enrollment and better attendance; a one‑time $2M property‑value adjustment also helped, but staff warned pending legislative and tax‑rate changes could create volatility in summer months.
Jennifer Hamill led the budget portion of the Feb. 4 workshop, summarizing the district’s current fiscal picture and the timeline for preparing the 2025–26 budget.
Hamill said the district adopted a $4.5 million deficit budget last June but has amended projections to a roughly $900,000 deficit this year, largely because enrollment and average daily attendance (ADA) exceeded the budgeted estimates. She also reported a one‑time $2 million adjustment from a prior property‑value study will flow to the current year as earned revenue.
Key revenue drivers discussed include preliminary enrollment projections of about 14,060 students (1.2% growth), ADA between 94% and 95% (the budget had assumed 92%), and an initial projection of 7% property‑value growth compared with prior double‑digit years. Hamill cautioned the district is monitoring a new charter school opening within the district and legislative actions (homestead exemption changes, teacher‑pay proposals and Base‑of‑Allotment discussions) that can affect tax‑rate calculations and timing of revenue.
On expenditures, Hamill said payroll accounts for about 86–87% of the district’s budget. The district plans to evaluate raises with TASB comparisons, continues to monitor special‑education staffing needs, and will open New Frost Elementary in the fall with associated facility operating costs. She also said federal grant funding that previously supported summer school has ended and the district must now budget that cost internally.
Timeline and next steps: trustees will get updated preliminary revenues in March, certified tax values from Williamson County in April, a preliminary budget in May, and final budget adoption in June with tax‑rate adoption typically in August after certified values are available. Hamill warned that some legislative items could cause July–September volatility, and trustees asked staff to continue monitoring TEA and comptroller guidance as state actions crystallize.
