United ISD CFO outlines 2025–26 budget risks and bills to watch as Legislature convenes
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Summary
At a Jan. 14 workshop United ISD CFO Bridal Benavides said the 89th Texas Legislature will shape next biennium funding, highlighting vouchers, basic-allotment increases, special education proposals and efforts to index funding for inflation. District will monitor bills and update trustees.
United Independent School District officials told trustees Jan. 14 that the 89th Texas Legislature is likely to determine the district''s available revenue for the 2026–27 fiscal cycle, and staff outlined bills and policy changes the district will monitor.
"This is the 89th legislative session," said Bridal Benavides, the district''s chief financial officer, and she described several possible funding changes that could affect the district, including proposals to increase the basic allotment (per-pupil funding), options to index funding for inflation, and movement toward enrollment-based funding rather than attendance-based funding.
Benavides highlighted special education as a key policy area in Austin. She cited a bill to revise special-education funding formulas (Senate Bill 149) and said House Bill 1542 — carried by the district''s representative, Raymond — would increase special-education transportation reimbursement. She also noted a Senate bill (identified in the presentation as Senate Bill 111) that would cap legal fees in special-education disputes; the district will watch for how those measures evolve in committee.
On the subject of school vouchers and government relations, board members asked about the district''s contract with lobbying/advocacy consultants. Benavides said United ISD contracts annually with Moe Casey, which provides advocacy, strategic studies and meeting coordination in Austin. "They're there in Austin. They're able to set up these meetings for us to go and visit," she said, explaining the firm serves as the district''s on‑the‑ground resource during the session.
Benavides said staff plan to bring legislative updates in February and March with lists of bills that have potential impact and projected enrollment figures to guide staffing and budget planning. "The missing part is the revenue," she told trustees, urging that legislative outcomes will be the key factor in finalizing the 2026 budget.
The district will continue to brief trustees as bills progress through committees; no formal board action on legislative strategy occurred at the workshop.