Enrollment decline, inflation, a prior freeze in basic allotment for six years and a rise in special education are a handful of challenges Clear Creek ISD officials are facing for the upcoming fiscal year.
At a glance
The district is projecting an $18.4 million shortfall for FY 2026-27, CCISD’s Chief Financial Officer Alice Benzaia said at the board of trustees’ July 13 workshop.
“Our budget challenges—enrollment and average daily attendance, inflation, staffing and compensation, and state funding uncertainties—all kind of come together,” Benzaia said at the workshop. “It’s not just for our district, this is statewide.”
A $55 increase in the basic allotment per student passed in the 89th Texas Legislature in 2025, bringing the base amount of per-student funding from $6,160 to $6,215, as previously reported by Community Impact. However, the allotment of $6,160 per student remained frozen from 2019 until the increase was passed in 2025.
Despite the increase, board member Arturo Sanchez said the state would need to consider raising the allotment from $6,215 to $7,500 to keep up with rising costs. This increase would amount to nearly $49 million in revenue for the district, he said.
Sanchez said stagnant state funding puts the district’s high standards at risk.
“We are looking at potentially negatively impacting things that set us apart that make our district attractive,” Sanchez said at the workshop. “That could potentially impact our ability to consider increases to retain the best teachers, the best instruction that provides the program offerings that we have, and one of the biggest things that has not occurred has just under a $50 million impact.”
Since the next legislative session will not impact CCISD’s budget until FY 2027-28, the district is projecting a shortfall of $23.4 million for FY 2026-27, which will be brought down to an $18.4 million shortfall through a planned decrease of $5 million in payroll costs.
By FY 2027-28, the district could face a shortfall of $23.5 million, which could deplete its capital and contingency funds, leaving the district with a “two-year runway” to address the shortfall, officials said.
Along with plans for $8.4 million in expenditure reductions and $8 million through facility optimization, the district is considering a $19.1 million voter-approval tax rate election in fall 2027.
A closer look
Also of note
The number of students transferring into the district has increased by over 30% from the 2024-25 to 2025-26 school year, Texas Education Agency data shows.
However, the number of students transferring out of the district is more than double than the number of students transferring in.
What's being done
To try mitigating the shortfalls, CCISD has targeted enrollment through numerous initiatives.
This includes expanding the district’s open enrollment program. The expansion, which was approved by trustees in February 2025, allows anybody who wants to enroll in the district to be able to at the superintendent’s discretion.
The district has also expanded its tuition-based pre-K program, which is $655 per month, to “any and all” families in the district, CCISD documents note. The program offers a curriculum that follows the Texas pre-K guidelines of the TEA.
Another initiative is the expansion of the district’s space, technology, robotics, engineering, arts and medicine, or STREAM, program at intermediate schools.
Lastly, the district partnered with Texas Tech University to launch Clear Tech for the 2026-27 school year. Students enrolled in the program will complete asynchronous coursework through the Texas Tech K-12 program.
What's next
CCISD’s strategic budget team, which is made up of district officials, trustees and community members, met in mid-June to advise the district for its next steps.
“When you start having large deficits, there’s limited options,” Benzaia said. “You’ve got to raise your revenue or lower your expenditures.”
The top five recommendations made by the team are as follows:
- Increase revenue
- Continue to grow enrollment through additional targeted programs
- Execute a phased, data-driven district facility and school consolidation plan
- Modify staffing ratios
- Prepare and educate for a potential VATRE
The board will consider the budget adoption and tax rate at its Aug. 24 meeting.
