The gist
A budget workshop was held by the district April 28 where Chief Financial Officer Dan Schaefer estimated the district will face a $39 million general fund budget shortfall for the fiscal year 2025-26 budget if no new state funding is approved during the ongoing 89th legislative session. A $25.2 million general fund shortfall was estimated for the FY 2026-27 budget.
“Although we’re grateful for any potential financial increase from the state, costs due to inflation and underfunded mandates for safety, special education and transportation, for example, far exceed what the state is potentially providing public schools this session,” Schaefer said in a May 14 email statement.
Typically, KISD’s board of trustees adopts the district’s budget at its regular June meeting, which is scheduled for June 9, Schaefer said during the board’s May 19 meeting. Schaefer said instead, on June 9, he will update the board on the new version of the draft budget, and a special meeting will be called to consider approving the budget.
“There [were] quite a bit of things that I've changed since [trustees’ budget workshop], and I want to make sure the board is updated, given the nature of the changes—they're rather significant,” Schaefer said.
Remember this?
For FY 2024-25, KISD trustees adopted a budget with a $36 million general fund shortfall on June 10, 2024, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The context
Multiple bills being considered by Texas lawmakers could provide additional funding for KISD, Schaefer said. Specifically, bills that could have a large impact include:
- House Bill 2, which could bring $5.5 million-$16.3 million more in funding to the district, depending on which version passes
- House Bill 19, which would limit how large bond referendums can be when school districts call elections
