Keller ISD’s board of trustees had a first look at the upcoming school year’s budget at a regular board meeting Jan. 22, which revealed a projected loss in funding due to declining enrollment.
In a nutshell
Superintendent Cory Wilson said the district budget for the 2026-27 school year will be estimated with the following assumptions:
- No new state or federal revenue
- Flat tax growth
- A balanced budget
- Enrollment decline of 1,083 students
- 94% average daily attendance
The district is expected to lose $6.73 million in funding because of declining enrollment, Wilson said. Enrollment in the district has been decreasing since the 2021-22 school year, according to previous reporting, and has seen a 12.5% decrease in enrollment from 2021-25.
“Federal revenue is a very big question mark based on what’s going on in [Washington D.C.] with the Department of Education and how some programs like [the Title programs] will be impacted or spun out to other agencies,” Wilson said.
2026-27 budget estimations will also consider a 1% raise for all staff, a step increase for eligible employees, operation costs for the district and replacements for district technology. Wilson said most of the district’s iPads will not meet state requirements for testing next year.
Looking ahead
Keller ISD officials will share more details about the next school year’s budget at the next board meeting Feb. 25.
Administrators will have a rough estimate for technology replacement costs and insights on how to offset declining enrollment with district staff, officials said.
