Education
BY ELISABETH JIMENEZ
Dripping Springs ISD approves $101M budget The Dripping Springs ISD board of trustees passed a $101 million operating budget with a $3.07 million de cit at a board meeting June 23. The details However, trustees and other district o cials expect amendments to the budget in August to adjust for changes from the 89th Texas Legisla- ture, they said at the meeting. The over $101 million operating budget comes from local, state and federal revenues. District o cials anticipate over $104 million in expenditures, with 83% going to payroll costs, Deputy Superintendent Elaine Cogburn said. Trustees approved dedicating over $1 million in fund balance allocations to utilities in order to bring the de cit expenditures to $2.02 million temporarily. District policy states that de cits cannot exceed two percent of budgeted revenues, but items using fund balance funds are excluded, according to district documents. Cogburn said the allocation of fund balance money to utilities and the de cit will likely be temporary due to future amendments. Trustees did not include general pay increases, a nalized compensation plan or new revenues in the approved budget and instead used current law and property growth estimates to create the budget, Cogburn said. She said district administration is waiting for August to receive more clari cation on changes
Breaking down the budget
Dripping Springs ISD FY 2025 26 Revenues The over $101 million operating budget comes from local, state and federal revenues.
Local Tax Collections
State funding
Other local sources
Other
Total $101M
$85M
$11M $5M $405K
Dripping Springs ISD FY 2025 26 Expenditures by Object
Most of the DSISD expenses will go to payroll costs.
Debt services
Utilities
Travel
Payroll
Contracted services
Supplies/materials
Total $104M
7% 3%
83%
4% 2%
0.86%
NOTE: THIS GRAPH DOES NOT INCLUDE RECAPTURE PAYMENTS.
SOURCE: DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
from the 89th legislative session. New legislation through House Bill 2 would give DSISD teachers annual salary pay increases depending on years of experience: • $2,500 salary increase for teachers with 3 to 4 years of experience • $5,000 for teachers with 5 or more years of experience The bill also includes raising the basic allotment, or the per-student funding amount school districts receive, by $55, increasing the current basic allotment to $6,215. Additional funding includes funding for school safety, special education, other non-administrative sta and more. Cogburn said district o cials are also waiting for updated property value estimates and other information from the state to amend the budget.
“We’re not out of the woods yet...Unfortunately, [HB 2] just didn’t x the nance issues in public education.”
HOLLY MORRIS KUENTZ, DISD SUPERINTENDENT
What else? The district made cuts to the budget ahead of its adoption through position reductions, attrition and sta ng: • Reduced nine positions; $550,000 in savings • Eliminated two vacant positions; $184,000 in savings • Sta transfers; $427,000 in savings
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