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LAMAR CISD officials recommend 3% districtwide raise as budget plan leans conservative
Summary
CFO Greg Buchanan told trustees the district projects a $1.2 million shortfall on 2025–26 revenue but anticipates $10.8 million in expenditure savings and recommended a 3% raise option for 2026–27; trustees pressed on fund balance and growth assumptions.
CFO Greg Buchanan presented the district's 2025–26 year-end estimate and preliminary assumptions for the 2026–27 budget, saying the district's budgeted revenues of $535,800,000 are now projected at $534,600,000, "so, we will miss our revenue projections by $1,200,000." He told trustees the district expects to be under budget on salaries and campus/department expenditures — a combined projected expenditure savings that would increase the fund balance by about $10,800,000 at year-end.
Buchanan outlined enrollment and property-value assumptions being recommended to the board: a 3% property-growth assumption and the low enrollment projection from the district demographer. He presented staff compensation options of 2%, 3% and 4% and said the finance committee recommended a 3% raise, noting the district would increase the teacher pay scale under that option. Trustees probed the district's cash-on-hand position and TEA benchmarks; Buchanan confirmed LCISD remains within recommended reserves and that the reported fund balance (before the current estimate) is roughly $96,000,000, rising to about $106,000,000 with the projected year-end increase.
Board members pressed staff on whether neighboring districts' deficits posed a risk and how LCISD is avoiding a shortfall. Superintendent Dr. Nevins and the CFO explained that personnel account for the bulk of district expenditures (the CFO stated personnel comprise roughly 83% of the budget) and described the district approach of aligning staffing to enrollment — "staff follows students" — to maintain fiscal solvency. Trustees also asked about capital consequences of slower growth; the CFO said bond authorizations will not trigger building construction until student demand requires it.
The board treated this as an information item; no final budget vote occurred at the April 21 meeting. Next steps outlined by the CFO include finance-committee follow-ups, a public meeting to discuss the proposed budget and tax rate on May 19, a June public hearing on the budgets, and final adoption of tax-rate actions after certified property values in August.
