Budget shortfall, prayer period: 2 key Pflugerville ISD updates

Check out two of the latest Pflugerville ISD updates, including details on next year's multimillion dollar budget shortfall projection and the board of trustees' vote to not implement a period of prayer and reading of religious text under Senate Bill 11.

$18.3 million budget shortfall projected for 2026-27

The district's budget development has been underway for several months, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Land said during the Feb. 5 board meeting.

According to Land, the preliminary $18.2-million-budget shortfall reflects "structural pressure" from things such as enrollment decline due to the education savings account program and a decrease in School Health and Related Services funding.

Other assumptions used to build the preliminary budget include:

• A student enrollment of 25,038
• An average daily attendance rate of 91%, or 23,271 students
• A 2.17% growth in property values
• A $1.1069 tax rate

"We are going to have to make some tough decisions in the future in order to ensure that this district is operating with fiscal and financial stewardship," Land said. "Our financial environment we are operating in, it is not the ideal condition. It's going to require some discipline, some realism and some continued collaboration between the board, administration, our staff and our community."

Land said that the administration will continue efforts to address the shortfall including revenue generation considerations; optimizing the district to ensure people, space and resources are efficient; and exploring other cost reductions.

The board will adopt the budget in June and adopt the tax rate in August.

Board votes against implementing period of prayer

The board voted against implementing a Senate Bill 11 resolution during its Feb. 19 meeting.

Passed by state lawmakers during the 2025 legislative session, the resolution authorizes school districts to establish a voluntary period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts during the school day.

Implementing the resolution is not required, but districts are required to vote on adopting or declining the resolution by March 1.