Willis ISD reviews budget, approves employee compensation plan

“The historical approach we've done in previous years is a flat increase to the scale, taking in where our pay is, we've added $500 to $1,000 across the board for every single [employee] step,” Matej said. “This year we've taken a different strategy. We've reviewed where our scale is compared to the market and compared to other districts in the county and what they approved in an effort to be strategic and competitive.”

Alongside the new compensation plan, the district will be issuing a $1,500 stipend as previously reported. Matej said the total impact of the new employee compensation plan will be $2.58 million.

Budget explained

The current student population of WISD is 8,739, Matej said. The student population is projected to rise to 8,950 students on the low end or 9,000 students on the high end for next school year. The approximate general fund revenue for those projections would range between $104.01 million and $ 104.36 million.

Matej said the district is budgeting to follow the first scenario of $104.01 million, while the total projected expenditures for the district are estimated to be $102.9 million.

The total tax rate for the district is projected to be lower than last year, dropping from $1.0349 to $1.0089 per $100 valuation.

Cost to the district

Matej said that another issue the district is facing for next school year is the overall rise in cost for operating expenses, specifically in the district's insurance, fuel, technology and security.

Insurance for the district has increased by 5.7%, mainly due to the district's property insurance coverage following recent market value appraisal of WISD’s properties. The previous insurance cost for last year was $989,409; the new total is $1.04 million. Matej said that the new cost does not include Castleschouldt Elementary School, which Matej estimated to increase the total cost by $7,000-$8,000.

WISD also increased the number of school resource officers on its payroll to accommodate the new facility. In FY 2025-26, 15 officers were on the payroll, which equated to $2.1 million. In 2026-27, there are now 16 officers on staff, which raises the cost to $2.4 million, Matej said.

Matej also said the fuel budget has increased due to rising fuel costs and the increase in routes within the district, thanks to the new transportation center, which should open in January. The total fuel budget in FY 2025-26 was $675,590; the new projected total for FY 2026-27 is $875,000. The technology budget has also seen an increase of 10%-30%, which is due to WISD’s suppliers informing them of rising hardware costs, Matej said.

Stay tuned

The board’s next budget workshop is scheduled for July 8 at 5 p.m., followed by a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m.