Conroe ISD officials said at a June 24 budget workshop they are seeking a balanced budget for CISD’s 2025-26 fiscal year following the signing of House Bill 2 by Gov. Greg Abbott, which will provide additional funding for schools.

What to know

Chief of Finance Karen Garza discussed at the June 24 meeting how HB 2 will impact the 2025-26 fiscal year budget. The 2025-26 fiscal year budget includes $761.05 million in both projected estimated revenues and expenditures.

HB 2 will provide permanent raises for educators and support staff; overhaul how the state funds special education; and set aside money for schools to spend on fixed costs, such as utilities and insurance, as previously reported by Community Impact.Garza also said Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23 will possibly impact the estimated tax rate of $0.9496 per $100, the same tax rate as the 2024-25 fiscal year. Texans will be getting the final say on these two bills in November, as reported by Community Impact.

SB 4 would raise the statewide homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, and SB 23 would give homeowners who are over 65 years old or have a disability a $200,000 exemption. Both exemptions would apply only to taxes levied by public schools.

“With the changes from Senate Bill Four and Senate Bill 23 with the increased exemptions, we're going to lose about $4.4 billion in value. So what we see, we are projecting to see a net decrease in our overall property values,” Garza said.What’s next

The finance department will finalize revenue projections and present the final budget for approval Aug. 19, with a budget hearing held Aug. 5.