Among the solutions under consideration are a potential voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, school consolidation, staff reductions and boundary changes.
At its Dec. 16 work session, trustees said no single approach would close the anticipated shortfall.
“Nothing's off the table, and nothing fixes the problem. There's not one solution,” trustee Jamieson MacKay said at the work session.
What you need to know
The shortfall reflects a combination of declining enrollment, stagnant state funding and rising operating costs, district officials said.
“Our state funding is tied to our student attendance, which ... [leads] to really tough choices that school districts have to deal with locally, even with state surpluses,” CCISD’s Chief Financial Officer Alice Benzaia said.
Declining enrollment has left some campuses underutilized, increasing the cost per student and prompting discussions about consolidation and boundary adjustments.
Since the 2019-20 school year, CCISD’s enrollment has declined by more than 6%, according to Texas Education Agency data.
Since Texas law caps how much school districts can increase their maintenance and operations tax rate without voter approval, districts turn to voters to try to increase that tax rate, which increases local revenue.
It is not confirmed yet whether or not CCISD will go for a VATRE in the future. However, a VATRE, school consolidation, tighter staff efficiencies and enrollment strategies are all options the district could consider, officials said.
“If I add all the [funding] we can get from a [VATRE], plus all the staff cuts, plus all the schools we can consolidate, do we still get the $27 million? I don’t think we do. So that tells me nothing needs to stay off the table,” trustee Jeff Larson said at the work session.
What to expect
CCISD will form a budget sprint team beginning in 2026. The team will work on an accelerated timeline compared to standing committees, such as faculty advisory committees, and will focus specifically on financial and operational recommendations, Superintendent Karen Engle said at the work session.
The sprint team is expected to review demographic data, facility utilization and budget scenarios before presenting findings to district leadership, according to meeting documents.
In the meantime, Engle said she will bring any potential recommendations to the district’s administration team to determine future options and next steps.
Haley Velasco contributed to this report.
