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Mesquite ISD board approves balanced 2026–27 budget after $50M-plus in cuts
Summary
The Mesquite ISD Board approved a balanced 2026–27 budget that relies on enrollment assumptions and spending reductions, including cuts tied to more than 400 FTEs and other departmental savings, after a presentation explaining revenue pressures and ESSER phase-out.
The Mesquite Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to approve a balanced budget for the 2026–27 school year after hearing a detailed presentation from district finance staff.
Mister Prado, the district budget presenter, told the board the plan assumes enrollment of about 36,000 students and average daily attendance near 94% and projects a tax rate of about $1.10 per $100 valuation. He said the district closed earlier gaps by using one-time ESSER funds and has since worked to reduce recurring expenses.
"We need a balanced budget," Prado said, describing a package of reductions and assumptions the administration used to reach balance. He outlined $34.3 million in expense reductions for the coming year—including decreased funding tied to more than 400 full-time equivalents—and noted the district cut roughly $17 million in the prior year, totaling more than $50 million in cumulative reductions.
Prado also detailed unavoidable cost increases the district is absorbing, including special education and health-insurance pressures, and described the district's projection of a 2026–27 average daily attendance trending upward from pandemic-era lows.
Trustees asked questions about long-term projections and comparisons with neighboring districts. Prado said many surrounding districts have used locally approved tax pennies and that Mesquite ISD remains among the lower maintenance-and-operations tax rates in Region 10.
Following discussion, Trustee Seward moved and Trustee Everett seconded approval of the proposed 2026–27 budget; the motion passed on a voice vote with all present indicating "aye." The board later approved budget amendments for 2025–26 to align anticipated revenues and expenses.
The budget approval is effective for the 2026–27 fiscal year and the board will continue monitoring enrollment, state funding developments and spending as the district implements the plan.
