Conroe ISD is projecting a balanced budget of $770.42 million for fiscal year 2026-27, according to a presentation by CISD Chief Financial Officer Karen Garza at the April 21 regular board meeting
The framework
Garza presented the proposed $770.42 million budget, which projects a $8.36 million increase in both revenues and expenses compared to the beginning revenue and expense figure of $762.06 million.
The increased revenue stems from increases to local property taxes and state funding, as well as special education intensity formula changes due to House Bill 2, Garza said. HB 2, according to previous reporting, gave an $8.4 billion boost to public educational funding.
CISD also projects a tax rate of $0.9348 per $100 valuation, according to Garza’s presentation. The projected tax rate is $0.0148 less than the approved FY 2025-26 tax rate of $0.9496 per $100 valuation.
According to previous reporting, the district’s approved budget for FY 2025-26 was $761.05 million.
Some contextThe current student population for the 2025-26 year is 72,757, and the projected 2026-27 student population will be 72,800. Garza said this means CISD will be facing flat or stagnant enrollment for the first time in many years.
CISD receives allotments from the state based on student population and district growth; a static population would affect the amount it receives. The state previously gifted the district a fast-growth allotment for being one of the “fastest-growing districts” over the past six years, Garza said. Due to the static enrollment, however, CISD projects to lose around $5 million-$9 million in funding in FY 2027-28, which Garza said could have “significant” implications on the planned opening of four new campuses.
More detailsGarza said CISD’s considerations for the 2026-27 proposed budget include:
- Student enrollment
- Opening of three new campuses: Arnold Middle School, Fowler Intermediate and Grand Oaks Junior High School
- A growing special education population
- The unknown impact of education savings accounts
Looking aheadAn estimated timeline was presented at the board meeting for the approval of the 2026-27 budget:
- April 21: budget update
- April 30: preliminary property values
- June: compensation plan approval
- July: district-level planning and decision-making committee
- July 25: certified property values and tax rate circulation
- Aug. 18: public hearing on budget and tax rate adoption
