Education
BY KARLEY CROSS
College Station ISD to be ‘cautious’ with 2026-27 budget amid uncertainty
College Station ISD FY 2025-26: Expenditures by object Payroll: 83.4% Contracted services: 9.2%
Total budget $156.3M
General supplies: 3.41% Other operating: 3.53% Capital outlay: 0.46%
north of $5 million, factoring in newly approved employee compensation. Even with that projected shortfall, Superintendent Tim Harkrider and Chief Financial Officer Heather Wilson told Community Impact the district is in a stronger position than other Texas school systems because of years of financial planning and a sizable fund balance. “We’ve done everything we possibly can,” Harkrider said in an interview with Community Impact . “I feel really good where we’re at right now.”
College Station ISD leaders say the district remains financially stable, but shifting enrollment trends and uncertainty surrounding state funding are forcing officials into a new era of cautious budgeting. District administrators have spent much of the past year tightening operations, reviewing staffing models and preparing for what they described as a slower-growth future for public education in Texas. During a May 19 budget workshop, trustees reviewed a proposed roughly $155 million general budget for the 2026-27 school year that currently projects a now estimated deficit of
Students lost: ~400 in last 2 years, which equals $4M
Projected 2026-27 deficit: $5M+
Estimated 2025-26 average daily attendance: About 96%
Current fund balance: 3 months operating costs
NOTE: BASED OFF MAY 4 SPECIAL MEETING SOURCE: BRYAN ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
How we got here
Stay tuned
Among the district’s biggest financial pressures are: Flat or limited increases in state funding Inflation affecting utilities and operations Expiration of federal funding Declining enrollment 1 2 3 4
District officials described the anticipated deficit as manageable and driven largely by statewide conditions rather than overspending locally. Even with budget pressures, local property owners could see a lower school tax rate next year, based on conversations in the May 19 budget workshop. Preliminary projections show the district’s maintenance and operations, or M&O, tax rate
Wilson and Harkrider stressed that College Station ISD is not currently facing a financial crisis. However, they also acknowledged that continued enrollment declines or stagnant state funding could eventually require more difficult decisions, including: • Additional staffing reductions through attrition • Department efficiency reviews • Adjustments to staffing ratios • Potential class size increases No immediate classroom impacts are planned, but planning efforts are being made to avoid sudden cuts in future years. “You may not have seen the effects yet,” Harkrider said, “but if things don’t change within the next three to four years, it’s going to change.” Trustees are expected to continue budget and compensation discussions in upcoming meetings before adopting a final budget this summer. The district announced it approved a $3.1 million compensation plan on May 21, giving pay increases to faculty and staff.
decreasing from approximately $0.6963 per $100 valuation to somewhere between $0.6759 and $0.6878, depending on final property values certified this summer.
Wilson said districts across Texas are now adapt- ing to slower growth or outright enrollment declines tied to charter school expansion, private school growth, demographic shifts and lower birth rates. CSISD officials are projecting a slight bump in its kindergarten class for the upcoming school year.
The backstory
For years, College Station ISD operated as a fast-growing district, typically adding 2.5%-3% more students annually.
College Station live births
College Station ISD historical enrollment & 2026-27 projected enrollment
Based off correlating birth rates, CSISD expects a slightly larger 2026-27 kindergarten class.
Projected
Historical
1,273
1,263
1,209
1,193
1,179
1,163
2020 2021
2022 2023 2024 2025
SOURCE: TEXAS BIRTH CERTIFICATE DATA, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES, CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
*BASED ON MAY 19 BUDGET WORKSHOP
SOURCE: COLLEGE STATION ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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BRYAN - COLLEGE STATION EDITION
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