Among concerns about the growth in homeschool and charter school growth as well as ongoing discussions around funding at the Legislature, RRISD administrators are still working toward a balanced budget for the next financial year.
What you need to know
During the district's first budget workshop for the 2025-26 financial year, set to begin July 1, RRISD Chief Financial Officer Dennis Covington laid out a roadmap leading to an ultimate goal of a balanced budget. On that road are many uncertainties, he said in the Feb. 20 board meeting, revolving around enrollment and funding.
Potential increases to the basic allotment—the per-student base level of funding included in the Texas Education Agency's school funding formula—as well as the homestead exemption and education savings accounts to fund private educations are among the concerns highlighted by Covington.
"We are in probably one of the most unknown seasons I've ever experienced in trying to pull a budget together for a new year that's going to start in July," Covington said
His presentation did not include a projection for anticipated revenues and expenditures, as done in the first workshop of the budget season in previous years, due to this uncertainty, he said.
"I just want the public to know that we are watching this and that we will not give you the grave budget, that 'we must do this now,' until we know more things for sure," Covington said.
What they're saying
The start to the district's budget planning for FY 2025-26 comes amid layoffs in neighboring Leander ISD. Covington said that the district is looking at multiple angles of addressing concerns related to the 2025-26 budget, but large-scale staff reductions are not yet in the plans.
"There are so many unknowns that could affect this budget for next year, positively and negatively," Covington said. "There are some things going on in the state. There are some things going on at the federal level, and I would just like to say, there's been a lot of decisions made by our surrounding districts, and those are worst-case scenarios."
Closing schools is also not on the list of budgetary solutions being considered by RRISD, he said.
The details
Rather than cut a large number of positions, as LISD did when they announced the removal of 200 positions from its 2025-26 budget, Covington said his department anticipates more spread out reductions in budget, including:
- Reductions in central office administration, central office school support and campus level school support positions
- Reducing service calendars by one day
- Reducing funding allocations for each department
- Reducing travel and cellphone reimbursements and stipends
- Increase class sizes
The district will hold its next budget workshop for the 2025-26 financial year—different from the budget updates the board receives for the current budget year—in March, Covington said.
