Manor ISD trustees hear budget workshop; administrators project ~ $105 million in revenues and plan to rebuild reserves
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Summary
Administrators told trustees the district’s current attendance is about 92.3%, projected revenues are roughly $105 million (including one-time state money of about $4.5 million), and staff outlined plans to replenish fund balance and reduce short-term borrowing.
Administrators presented an initial budget workshop to the board that combined enrollment/attendance analysis with revenue and expenditure estimates and short-term cash-flow planning.
"We are currently as of 92 92 92.3," the finance presenter said, describing the district’s attendance rate and noting attendance drives state funding (ADA). The presentation showed the budget model using conservative assumptions: roughly $105,000,000 in projected revenue for the next fiscal year, which includes an approximately $4.5 million one-time state payment that staff do not plan to count as recurring revenue.
Presenters said personnel costs constitute roughly 77–80% of expenditures and indicated past practice—rolling federally funded positions into the general fund—helped drive prior-year fund-balance declines. Administrators said the district has a plan to rebuild reserves, expects to pay down short-term borrowing (the district reported a $30 million borrow with a $10 million payment already made), and aims to return funds to the fund balance rather than rely on repeated borrowing. The presenter outlined risks the board is monitoring: pending property-tax litigation that could reduce taxable values (a cited potential impact on the order of $107 million in value) and uncertain future receipts tied to Freeport-related exemptions that might begin in 2027.
"We're living off a 101,000,000, but we budgeted a 105,000,000," one administrator said, noting the difference between budgeted and actual operating figures and the district’s conservative budgeting approach. Trustees pressed staff on the causes of the fund-balance dip (personnel costs and one-time funding decisions), asked about bond and credit-rating implications, and sought more analysis of programmatic impacts if enrollment or attendance assumptions change.
Administrators said they will refine projections, pursue operational savings (including insurance consulting and vacancy management), and return with updated numbers. Trustees and staff discussed a preliminary target to put roughly $1.5 million back into reserves as borrowing needs decline. The board did not take budget action at this meeting; the presentation was informational and will inform future budget decisions.