Budget workshop: Duncanville ISD projects $7.9M deficit before track repairs; 372 families applied for vouchers
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Summary
At a budget workshop following the track vote, CFO Miss Pumphrey told trustees the district had reduced a projected deficit to $7.9 million (before the additional track expense), highlighted enrollment declines and legislative risks, and Superintendent Dr. Goree reported 372 local voucher applications.
DUNCANVILLE, Texas — In a budget workshop immediately after the board’s track‑repair vote, Duncanville ISD financial staff told trustees the district is projecting a $7.9 million operating deficit for the coming year before the newly approved track contingency, and staff highlighted legislative and enrollment pressures that could further tighten revenues.
Chief Financial Officer Miss Pumphrey told the board the district began the fiscal cycle with an $18 million deficit, reduced that to $12.6 million through spending reviews, and was on pace to end with a $7.9 million deficit before the additional track costs. "We started out when we adopted the budget in July at an $18,000,000 deficit... currently, we were able to knock that down to $12,600,000 deficit, and we're on pace to end with a $7,900,000 deficit and that is before the track repairs," Pumphrey said.
Pumphrey said the district currently holds roughly five months of operating fund balance, above the Texas Education Agency’s recommended three months, but warned that continued spending trends could reduce reserves in the coming years. She highlighted four key budget drivers: enrollment, average daily attendance, property values and staffing/compensation. On enrollment, staff noted a long‑term decline from a 2013 peak of about 13,267 students to a projected roughly 10,685 this fall — a loss of about 2,500 students that directly decreases state funding.
Pumphrey walked trustees through legislative impacts: she described "Senate Bill 2" as a voucher program that shifts funds to follow students who leave the district; she said a separate bill (referred to in the presentation as Senate Bill 1453) would change rules for certain debt‑service actions by requiring a 60 percent board majority in some cases. She also described House Bill 2, which created teacher and staff incentive allotments that do not fully cover related employer costs such as TRS and step increases.
Superintendent Dr. Goree and trustees discussed local outreach and recruitment efforts to shore up enrollment. When Trustee Bean asked about voucher uptake and which districts voucher students were choosing, Dr. Goree said the district had 372 Duncanville families who applied for vouchers and offered to pull more data on enrollment shifts and destination districts.
Pumphrey said next steps include property‑value data due April 30, TRS rate updates expected soon, further budget workshops on April 27 and May 11, and a preliminary budget presentation in June with final adoption scheduled for the June 15 board meeting.
The workshop was informational; the board took no vote on the budget at the session’s close and adjourned after the scheduled items.
