Despite early warnings of a $3.3 million shortfall, Lamar CISD will start the 2025-26 fiscal year with a projected $545,000 surplus following state lawmakers' approval of House Bill 2, which provides $8.9 billion in public school funding for the 2025-27 biennium.

What’s happening?

LCISD officials approved the district’s 2025-26 budget at a June 17 board meeting with $507.27 million in projected expenditures and $507.82 million in revenue for the FY 2025-26 budget, which is just over a 7% revenue increase from FY 2024-25, according to budget documents.

A majority of the general fund revenue comes from local property taxes with the district receiving less money from the federal government compared to FY 2024-25, according to agenda documents.
What’s changing

Salaries continue to be the largest spending item for LCISD, making up about 85% of the total expenditures, according to the presentation.
The budget includes the state’s mandated raises for experienced teachers approved in HB 2, which includes:
  • $2,500 for classroom teachers with three to years of experience
  • $5,000 for classroom teachers with five or more years of experience
However, trustee Zach Lambert said because these raises are tied to the Texas Legislature, he believes there's uncertainty surrounding future funding.


“In two years, they can amend this law or even take this funding away,” Lambert said.

Additionally, Chief Financial Officer Jill Ludwig said trustees approved tiered raises from the bill's staff retention allotment, including:
  • $1,000 for new teachers with zero to two years of experience
  • $500 for other certified staff on the teacher pay scale such as counselors, nurses and librarians
  • $825 for non-administrative staff such as paraprofessionals, custodians, food service workers and bus drivers
"We can’t have a great learning environment without our custodial staff,” Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens said. “We have to have bus drivers to get our students to school, and then once they get there, we’ve got to feed them.”

In May, the board also approved a flat $2,000 pay raise for the district's existing teachers and a 3% midpoint raise for staff, including instructional aids.

Zooming out


While LCISD is projecting a surplus, neighboring districts Katy and Fort Bend ISDs project a shortfall in the tens of millions ahead of the 2025-26 school year.


Also of note

LCISD will propose a tax rate of $1.13 per $100 valuation, down from FY 2024-25’s rate of $1.1469, officials said. The proposed tax rate continues the downward trend since FY 2019-20.
Next steps

The district will adopt its 2025-26 tax rate in July once certified property values are received from the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District, officials said.


Although the budget has been adopted, Ludwig said amendments will be necessary before the fiscal year begins on Sept. 1 as officials learn more about HB 2.