With school funding issues looming in districts across the state, Carroll ISD Superintendent Jeremy Glenn provided an update during the board’s regular meeting April 28 on the activities of the district’s Budget Reduction Advisory Committee as it concludes its examination of the 2024-25 school year.

The findings

While other area school districts are having to layoff hundreds of staff members and deal with multi-million dollar deficits right away, Glenn commended CISD board members and staff for recognizing the possible funding issues the district could face early on.

“Even before I came on in August, trustees were well aware there was a budget crisis,” Glenn said. “It put us in a position where the BRAC didn’t have to make all the decisions in year one.”

While Glenn did note the committee's five-year plan is “heavily front loaded” in the first year, many of the potential cuts are spread out over a five-year period.


Glenn said the BRAC’s findings so far have focused on the following areas:
  • Rightsizing staff as enrollment declines
  • Continued implementation of utility efficiencies
  • Continuing exploring opportunities to increase facility rental opportunities
  • Privatizing the North Texas Nadadores program at aquatics center
  • Utilization of empty space
Board President Cameron Bryan said that in order to hone in on the specifics of how to best address cost savings and possibly generate revenue in these areas, Tiger Teams, which are subsets of the BRAC, will be formed. He added the first Tiger Team should meet at the beginning of May.

Zooming out

Glenn also talked about the current school funding bills that are under consideration in the 89th Texas Legislative session. Should these bills pass, Glenn said projections include:
  • $395 per student added to the $6,160 basic allotment increase
  • $2 million for Texas teacher pay raises
  • $700,000 for other Texas staff raises
In terms of year one, Glenn said the projected relief includes the following:

Revenue:
  • $1.5 million in net legislative projected revenue
  • $500,000+ in property sales
  • Potential tax-increment financing funds from the city of Southlake
Cost savings:
  • $1.5 million by right-sizing staff
  • $1 million by implementing zero-based budgeting
Chase Park, the deputy superintendent of finance and operations, said the district has been able to whittle down its projected budget shortfall from $9.2 million to $4.2 million.


The backstory

According to previous Community Impact reporting, the BRAC was created to address the funding issues school districts across the state are facing. According to district documents, the state funding formula has not been changed since 2019, despite record inflation since that time.

CISD board members unanimously approved the formation of the BRAC in July 2024 to study funding shortfalls in the 2024-25 fiscal year and propose recommendations to better allocate resources to achieve district goals. It is composed of approximately 20 members of the community along with board members, principals and other district staff members.

The BRAC’s objective is to present the Carroll ISD board of trustees with the following information:
  • A prioritized list of budget reductions
  • Options to increase revenue
  • A holistic approach to facility efficiency and maintenance
  • Competitive compensation for all staff
Glenn said that as district officials developed the plan, they chose to look at it over a five-year period, from the 2024-25 school year to the 2028-29 school year. That includes three legislative sessions.


Quote of note

“It’s going to be a tough 12 to 18 months for the district as we climb out of this deficit, but the plan the BRAC put together is a really good plan,” Glenn said. “When we come out of this, and we have the state funding and we look at our tax rate, I think there will be some opportunities for this board to do a lot of good things for our teachers and kids.”

Glenn said the board plans to adopt a balanced budget in June.