Looking back
The board adopted the 2025-26 budget in June with a $7.1 million shortfall, which was based on May law.
The budget did not include salary increases, assumed a 7,300 student enrollment and reflected a 3.8% decline in EISD's taxable assessed value, or TAV.
What changed
Based on House Bill 2—an $8.4 billion public school funding bill passed during the legislative session—EISD netted an increase of nearly $1.5 million.
EISD received $2.5 million in state funding for staff raises, but nearly $2.8 million was needed to fulfill the allotment requirements.
EISD netted another $1.9 million from other changes, including:
- $1.5 million due to an increased actual enrollment of 7,532 students
- $112,000 due to the TAV only declining by 2.4%
- $642,000 from reclassified revenue between FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26
Chief Financial Officer Chris Scott said his “extremely early” FY 2026-27 projections show a $5.5 million-$6 million shortfall.
The projection assumes 150 fewer enrolled students than this year but no change in staff numbers, includes a 2% increase in staff compensation, and projects 0% TAV growth.
If the district "did nothing" and continued with this shortfall, this would put EISD's fund balance—or money leftover after expenses are paid—around 18%, Scott said.
Scott projects the fund balance will be just under 25% at the end of FY 2025-26.
"That's going to move," Scott said. "Hopefully it will move in our direction, in a favorable direction, but things can move in the opposite direction, as we all know. ... That's under our expectation of where we want to be."
