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Castleberry ISD CFO warns current assumptions could produce a year‑end deficit as board readies 2026–27 budget
Summary
Chief Financial Officer William Wooten told the Castleberry ISD board the district is projecting to collect about 99% of its $48.6 million general‑fund budget but, under current assumptions (enrollment, property values, TRS health increases), may land with a budgetary deficit; staff outlined next steps and a timeline for refining assumptions before adoption.
Chief Financial Officer William Wooten told the Castleberry Independent School District Board of Education on Monday that the district is projecting to collect roughly 99% of its $48.6 million general‑fund budget but that, based on current assumptions, the district could still show a year‑end budgetary deficit.
Wooten said the projection is an estimate based on data current as of February and stressed that figures will continue to be refined in the weeks leading up to formal adoption. Key planning assumptions include a working enrollment of 3,658 students, property‑value growth capped at 2.5 percent, a 92 percent attendance rate, and an estimated 10 percent increase in TRS (health insurance) premiums pending the TRS board’s May 1 decision.
"At this stage of the fiscal year, what we provide is an estimate," Wooten said. "We're going to continue to do the projections, continue to monitor the budget, and we'll come back to the board with more details." He added that the district plans campus allocations using a consistent model that ties funding to attendance and campus improvement plans.
Wooten walked through the district’s cash position as of Feb. 28, reporting roughly 75 percent of expected collections and about 55 percent of budget spent for the year to date. He said the district currently shows a $3.2 million positive change in fund balance through that date but cautioned that assumptions about enrollment and state funding drivers could change that picture.
Board members pressed for detail on campus allocations and nonpayroll budgets. Wooten said the district projects about $7.2 million for nonpayroll district‑level expenses and that those amounts will be refined as purchase orders close and final taxable values are released.
Wooten outlined the next steps and timeline: a third budget workshop scheduled for April 6, preliminary taxable values on April 30, and additional refinement of spending assumptions before the board is asked to adopt a formal budget. He said the district expects to notify the board of any material changes after the TRS rate decision and after campus staffing and position fill rates are confirmed.
The board did not take action on the 2026–27 budget at the meeting; Wooten said staff will return with updated projections at future workshops and meetings.
