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CHISD leaders warn declining enrollment, voucher program and earmarked state funds leave district running a deficit
Summary
CFO Jacqueline West told the joint session CHISD runs a deficit despite recent state increases because new dollars were restricted to specific uses; district leaders said falling enrollment and vouchers reduce per‑student funding tied to attendance.
Jacqueline West, chief financial officer for CEDAR HILL ISD, told trustees and city leaders the district operates on a mix of local tax revenue and state funding tied to daily attendance rather than static enrollment. "We get local funding, which is our tax dollars. So all of the taxpayers contribute to that. But we also get state funding, and that's based on how much people show up," West said, explaining why attendance declines reduce state revenue.
West said the district recently received an increase in the state basic allotment but much of the statewide appropriation was earmarked for teacher retention and other specific programs. She said CHISD is working through a deficit and reminded the group that vouchers and declining birth rates have removed students statewide — a figure West described as roughly 70,000 fewer students in Texas — and that local applicants to the Education Savings Accounts program numbered in the hundreds. The district asked for community partnership to boost enrollment and to plan for efficiency across campuses.
