Friendswood ISD’s board of trustees approved staff pay increases and expanded stipend allocations at its May 11 meeting as part of an update for the district’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget.
What you need to know
For FY 2026-27, the district is projecting nearly $70.9 million in revenues and nearly $70.6 million in expenses, according to budget documents.
After accounting for around $770,000 in debt service tied to maintenance tax notes, along with staffing, salary and revenue adjustments since the March 23 workshop, the net surplus is projected to be $234,000, according to budget documents.
What’s new
The board approved a compensation plan that includes a 2% raise for all staff, along with hourly increases of $0.75 for bus drivers and monitors and $1.00 for custodians, according to budget documents.
The plan also includes a one-time salary supplement of around $134,000 total for eligible non-teaching professional staff, including instructional coaches, specialists and designated campus support roles such as Admission, Review and Dismissal, or ARD, facilitators and nurses, according to budget documents.
Eligible staff will receive payment August 20, 2027, following the end of FY 2026-27.
The board may revisit the supplement in spring 2027 if average daily attendance, or ADA, falls below projections or if significant unforeseen impacts affect the general fund, according to district documents.
Cost to the taxpayers
The projected tax rate for FY 2026-27 is $1.0040 per $100 valuation of a home, including $0.7609 for maintenance and operations, or M&O, which funds daily operations, and $0.2431 for interest & sinking, or I&S, which pays bond debt.
Based on a median home value of $424,611, the estimated annual property tax bill will be around $4,300, according to budget documents.
Also of note
The budget includes funding for nearly 15 additional positions across the district in both teaching and non-teaching roles, including core subject areas, paraprofessional support and special education services.
The total cost for these positions is nearly $780,000, funded through a combination of the general fund and state, federal and Social Security Administration revenues. The budget also includes an additional $52,500 in stipends for special education staff from the general fund, according to budget documents.
Stay tuned
District officials plan to bring several items back for discussion in June, including a comprehensive stipend review covering athletic, extracurricular, instructional and specialized stipends, FISD’s Chief Financial Officer Amber Petree said at the meeting.
Additionally, the district will continue refining ADA projections as final attendance numbers are received and use those updates to adjust and finalize the budget, Petree said.
