Lone Star College officials forecast $21M in unallocated funds for 2025-26 budget

Lone Star College System officials said at a June 5 workshop meeting it will have $21 million in funds remaining to allocate for its priorities in the 2025-26 fiscal year after other revenue and expenses are accounted for. Officials said that will help to account for uncertainties such as the status of undocumented staff and students, and how that could affect the college financially.

The gist

On June 5, the LSCS board of trustees held its first budget workshop for the proposed FY 2025-26 budget. The budget includes an estimated $244.5 million from maintenance and operations tax revenue.

LSCS officials are expecting a tax rate of $0.1076, per $100 valuation, which is the same as the previous year. Tuition will not be raised for the 2025-26 fiscal year, officials said.

By the numbers

According to meeting presentation materials, highlights of the proposed FY 2025-26 budget include:

• $16.6 million in increased revenue from maintenance and operations portion of tax revenue, which makes up 43% of total revenue
• $3.778 million for systemwide initiatives
• $13.22 million in various budget priorities including a new bachelor’s program in education

Several budget initiatives were also discussed during the June 5 workshop, including:

• $1.9 million in funding for the Magnolia Center
• $320,000 for the new bachelor’s degree program
• $285,000 in its dual credit instruction as the adjunct rate increased

What’s next

LSCS trustees will consider formally adopting the college system’s budget Aug. 7 and adopt a tax rate Oct. 2.