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Tomball ISD projects $255 million budget, flags special-education funding and safety shortfalls
Summary
At a March 16 workshop, Tomball ISD CFO presented a $255 million revenue projection for FY2026–27, outlined legislative funding changes from House Bill 2, and warned special-education weights and SRO funding remain uncertain — staff said state formulas will determine some allocations only after TEA finalizes rules.
Tomball ISD’s chief financial officer, Zach BS, presented the district’s first budget workshop for fiscal 2026–27 on March 16, laying out a revenue projection of $255 million and a budget calendar that runs from November through tax-rate adoption in September.
The projection, Mr. BS said, assumes roughly $119.5 million in local property-tax revenue and that state aid will account for more than half of district revenue for the first time. “Our projection for revenue for 26–27 is a total of $255 million,” Mr. BS said, noting the figure depends on certified property values from local appraisal districts and on state-level funding changes.
Why it matters: the 89th Legislature’s House Bill 2 reallocated funding across several allotments. Mr. BS said the basic allotment rose by $55 to $6,215, teacher-retention allotments were funded ($2,500 for teachers with three to four years’ experience and $5,000 for those with five or more), and the state added a $106-per-student allotment intended for property insurance, utilities and transportation (with restricted uses).
Trustees pressed staff on assumptions. The district is projecting 0.5% enrollment growth and a 6% tax-base increase in the budget model but cautioned both figures are preliminary until appraisal values arrive. A trustee asked how the district treats volatile one-time revenue such as investment income; Mr. BS said the $6 million line labeled “other local revenue” includes roughly $3.5 million from investment income and the district is taking a conservative approach to avoid budgeting one-time gains as recurring dollars.
Special-education funding uncertainty remains a major unknown. Mr. BS explained that House Bill 2 created an intensity-based funding model for special education and directed TEA to allocate $250 million more than current law. He added that no district is guaranteed a share of the new money until TEA defines intensity weights; Tomball ISD will adopt its 2026–27 budget under current law and learn district-specific special-education funding amounts only after TEA’s methodology is finalized, likely in September 2027.
School safety funding also drew attention. The state’s school-safety allotment doubled, producing roughly $1.2 million for Tomball ISD, but trustees and staff said that amount does not cover the estimated costs of SRO contracts and safety needs associated with opening Tomball West High School. One trustee asked board members to advocate with legislators; staff estimated the gap tied to the new high school at about $1.8 million.
Next steps: staff will continue the budget-development calendar with more workshops in March–May and must adopt the district budget in June (Tomball ISD’s fiscal year starts July 1). Final tax-rate decisions will follow certified appraisal values and state guidance on compression rules.
