School funding, school safety and post-secondary readiness are the top three issues New Braunfels ISD trustees want state lawmakers to address during the 2027 Texas legislative session, following discussion of the district's priorities at its board meeting on Nov. 9.
The specifics
For funding, the committee would like the legislature to increase the basic allotment to meet the needs of running the district, like transportation, utilities, insurance and facility maintenance. The committee also thinks that the basic allotment should account for inflation.
Basic allotment is the base amount of funding that schools receive per student from the state, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
"All of these costs are taking a huge chunk out of our district budget, but the money is not following that amount that continues to grow for us," Trustee Morgan Renaud said.
Renaud serves on the legislative committee alongside Trustee Megan Stratemann-Willis and Board President Nancy York.
Committee members also said they would like to see the school safety allotment increased and access to safety training expanded for school staff to increase the number of qualified school safety professionals.
The school safety allotment, according to the Texas Education Agency website, is funding from the state for equipment, programs and training related to school safety and security.
Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 260 last legislative session, which increased the school safety allotment from $10 to $20 per student in average daily attendance and $33,540 per campus.
The third priority the committee discussed was improving post-secondary readiness for students in the district by improving the accountability system. Currently, the system has students choosing one pathway which doesn't allow students to explore multiple careers, Renaud said.
Going forward
The 90th legislative session begins Jan. 12, which is when the committee will advocate for these priorities on behalf of the district to state legislators.
