Education
BY BRADLEY DOUNTZ, AUBREY HOWELL & HANNAH NORTON
FBISD projected shortfall lessens to $38.5M Fort Bend ISD o cials said the district is expected to face less of a shortfall than projected. What you need to know At a March 30 board of trustees meeting, Chief Financial O cer Bryan Guinn said the district is now expected to face a $38.5 million shortfall for the 2026-27 school year, down from the $56.4 million gure predicted at the board’s February meeting. However, the number is still up 46.95% from the district’s initial $26.2 million projection shared last summer, Community Impact reported. The details Guinn said the decrease comes after an expected $7 million in increased revenues and a $10.9 million in strategic sta ng reductions made at the central administration level. The budget outlook shows revenues at $855 $7.11M approved for consolidated center At a March 30 meeting, Fort Bend ISD board of trustees approved a $7.11 million construction contract with JR Thomas Group Inc. for a Special Education Trans- portation Center for Excellence aimed to provide specialized transportation opera- tions as well as re ne sta e ectiveness, coordination and service delivery. O cials previously said the center would support the district’s growing special educa- tion population by consolidating sta across three sites into one centralized location. Next steps Work on the new center is expected to begin in April, per agenda documents.
FBISD creating local designation system Fort Bend ISD is in the progress of gathering data to create its own district local designation system as part of the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment. The gist The Teacher Incentive Allotment, which was funded by House Bill 3 in 2019, has been implemented in districts across the state as a pathway for teachers to earn a six- gure salary, according to the TIA website. What’s next? In October, the district will turn in the data for state review and validation. By February 2027, FBISD will nd out if they acquired full system approval with Cohort 1 teachers to receive bonuses by August 2027.
FBISD 2026 27 budget shortfall projections $60M
$56.4M
$38.5M
$40M
$26.2M
$20M
$0
Summer 2025
February 2026
March 2026
SOURCE: FORT BEND ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
million, which is $66.7 million less than the 2025- 2026 year-end estimate due to disaster pennies expiring and the loss of property value audit gains. The budgetary reductions for next year are currently $10 million. However, Guinn said there are several factors that can alter these numbers including unknown reve- nue from alterations to special education weighted allotments, savings from the school consolidation and the aftermath of health bene ts solicitation. Next steps Two additional updates are scheduled before the public hearing and nal vote on the budget in June.
FBISD one of leading districts for savings accounts Fort Bend ISD is one of the top districts across the state with over 8,000 students applying to receive funds for private education or homeschooling under Texas’ education savings account program, accord- ing to the state comptroller’s o ce. Texas education savings account applications by school district
Some of Texas’ largest public school districts were home to the highest numbers of applications to the state’s new education savings account program. Houston ISD
The state received a total of 274,183 applications following the March 31 deadline extension, o cials said in a April 1 social media post. By the numbers As of March 31, Fort Bend ISD saw 8,429 students who live in the district’s boundaries apply for the program led only by Houston ISD and Dallas ISD with 12,267 and 8,617, respectively, data shows. About the program State lawmakers created the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program in 2025, and accepted students will receive funding for the 2026-27 school year. Funding is capped at $1 billion for the rst year of the program, meaning between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted. Accepted students who are enrolling in private schools are set to receive $10,474 to spend on tuition and related expenses. Meanwhile, homeschool students are eligible for $2,000 each, and students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000 each.
12, 267
Dallas ISD
8,617
Fort Bend ISD
8,429
Northside ISD
6,955
Cy-Fair ISD
5,858
North East ISD
FBISD transportation facilities
5,414
59
1 FBISD Transportation Central 2 Hodges Bend Transportation Center 3 Lake Olympia Transportation Center
Plano ISD
1
2
5,206
90
Katy ISD
6
99
3
5,108
N
SOURCE: FORT BEND ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT SUGAR LAND MISSOURI CITY EDITION
SOURCE: TEXAS COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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