The district then launched a nine-month priorities-based budget process that would include cost-saving measures and means to generate revenue.

“We realized that funding was going to be a challenge [so we] looked at all the different areas to try and offer the same level of opportunities, activities, classrooms to our students,” board trustee Anne McCausland said. “But we do realize that basically we’re asking everybody to do more with less.”

Before the budget process began last year, the trustees voted to delay the opening of four new schools—Memorial High School, Lawler Middle School, Liscano Elementary School and Talley Elementary School—until 2018. Delaying the opening of the schools will save the district more than $15 million in operational costs.

“This budget is not a one and done; we’re going to have to get started on next year’s budget soon and evaluate any decisions that we made for this budget,” board President John Classe said.

Rising property values

In early June, trustees adopted the 2017-18 combined tax rate of $1.46 per $100 valuation, which has remained the same since 2012.

Although the tax rate remains unchanged, district residents will be paying up to 8.3 percent more in taxes as a result of rising property values, Pickens said.

The taxable value of the average home in FISD is expected to rise from $347,932 to $381,046.

Pickens said the rising property values benefit the debt service fund, which funds payments on the debt that finances the district’s facilities. However, the district does not retain funds from rising property values to support the operating fund, which accounts for 80 percent of staff salaries.