A school district recently grilled by state lawmakers over nearly $100 million directed to a private education foundation will now face a spending review from Comptroller Don Huffines.  Huffines announced Monday that Barbers Hill ISD is one of four districts selected for an examination of whether taxpayer dollars are reaching classrooms rather than fueling administrative growth and non-instructional expenses.   Austin, El Paso, and Prosper school districts were also selected for review.   The selection of Barbers Hill comes shortly after a contentious House Governmental Oversight hearing in August focused heavily on the district’s relationship with the Barbers Hill ISD Education Foundation, which has reportedly amassed approximately $250 million. view article

Austin ISD will be the subject of state scrutiny once again, with a new investigation into the district’s finances led by the state comptroller and spurred on by Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced Monday that Austin, as well as Barbers Hill, El Paso, and Prosper school districts, would undergo a detailed financial review. view article

ederland Independent School District says Proposition A could provide an additional $4.1 million for its maintenance and operations budget. The ballot estimates the measure would increase M&O tax revenue by $3.41 million compared with the previous year. The district also estimates it would receive about $1.6 million in state aid. view article

Austin ISD will be the subject of state scrutiny once again, with a new investigation into the district’s finances led by the state comptroller and spurred on by Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced Monday that Austin, as well as Barbers Hill, El Paso, and Prosper school districts, would undergo a detailed financial review. view article

At a Sept. 15 Board of Trustees meeting, Chief Financial Officer Mike White announced that Bastrop ISD earned 98 out of 100 points, two points higher than last year, in the School FIRST audit. This is classified as a Superior Achievement in the rating scale, which the district has maintained for the last eight years. view article

Some local officials have suggested they expect Abbott will reinstate funding for the surveillance cameras, which are politically unpopular, after the election.Dallas will keep more than 300 Flock Safety cameras originally slated for removal after the surveillance company paused certain agencies’ payments for the devices for 90 days, a move made in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s state funding freeze for the controversial cameras. view article

Rural Texas school districts are poised to lose millions of dollars in funding this year after thousands of students reported using vouchers to leave for private or home schools, according to a new analysis of state data. Across the state, at least 28,200 public school students took a voucher, an estimated loss of at least $227 million in state funding for their public districts.   Large urban-area school districts have seen the most students leave. But the effect could be felt more acutely among hundreds of smaller school districts, where losing a handful of students can have a dramatic effect on the budget.  view article

The Austin school district this school year has enrolled 65,951 students, more than 2,000 students short of its projected enrollment, complicating an already-strained budget which is partially reliant on the quantity of students and their attendance for funding. Over 6,400 students enrolled at the end of last school year did not return to Austin ISD for the 2026-27 school year, not including those who graduated, district leaders said Thursday. However, the district gained 8,500 new students, including Pre-K and Kindergarten. view article

Increase in costs: Houston ISD is spending millions to pay for academic reforms, including more staff, higher salaries and new equipment. At half of the district’s schools, HISD spent an extra $700,000 per campus and about $2,200 more per student.  view article

The operating budget for FY 2026-27 is $3.33 billion, an increase of 10.81%, according to a news release. Several programs slated for reduction or cuts were restored following guidance from City Council in past meetings. Those include the Alliance PetSmart Charities Adoption Center at 2901 Texas Sage Trail, restored employee positions to avoid service-level issues and employee pay-for-performance increases in the 4%-4.5% range, which will be paid in April 2027.  The total cost to restore those services and positions was $4.09 million, according to the news release.  The cuts were made as the city faced a $94 million shortfall in revenues compared to expenditures in part due to lower-than-expected tax rolls, according to previous reporting. view article

The high price tag, coupled with less state funding from students leaving the district, raises questions about whether the academic improvements are sustainable in the long run and whether other districts can afford to replicate it. view article

Railroad Commission Approves ExxonMobil’s Carbon Capture Permit  "If carbon capture is a good investment, Exxon has the financial resources to make that investment. The question is, why should taxpayers subsidize it, especially when Exxon itself acknowledges in its SEC disclosures that government policy is important to the economics of its low-carbon business?" — Jason Isaac view article

School districts currently collect about $29 billion annually in M&O taxes, according to the Texas Education Agency. view article

On the Friday before Labor Day weekend, Veronica Reyes asked a group of attentive students at Silva Magnet High School in South El Paso to describe the three branches of government. It had been at least 14 years since Reyes, who is the assistant superintendent of specialized learning services at the El Paso Independent School District, last worked as a teacher. view article

Texas Comptroller Don Huffines has requested legislators double the money behind the state’s private school voucher program to $2 billion. More than 100,000 students sit on the waitlist, but critics argue there is little evidence vouchers are delivering on their promises to justify expanding the program. view article

An El Paso ISD audit found serious financial and oversight problems in the Andress High School band program, including allegations that district purchasing rules were bypassed and that the school’s principal did not provide sufficient oversight. According to the audit, former band director Manuel Talamantes went against district policy by using personal credit cards to front between $20,000 and $25,000 for band expenses and equipment. Talamantes told investigators he did so because the band did not have enough money at the time he needed to order equipment. view article

The Coahoma ISD school board has called a special meeting in response to formal complaints by community members. view article

An El Paso ISD audit found serious financial and oversight problems in the Andress High School band program, including allegations that district purchasing rules were bypassed and that the school’s principal did not provide sufficient oversight. According to the audit, former band director Manuel Talamantes went against district policy by using personal credit cards to front between $20,000 and $25,000 for band expenses and equipment. Talamantes told investigators he did so because the band did not have enough money at the time he needed to order equipment. view article

The comptroller says his office is expanding its focus on government fraud as auditors prepare to investigate four Texas school districts.  Texas Comptroller Don Huffines says school officials could face prosecution if upcoming state audits uncover fraudulent spending.  Huffines made the comments during an interview on Texas Scorecard’s Real Texans, as his office prepares to investigate the spending practices of four yet-to-be-named school districts.  “If we find nefarious spending, I will do everything I can to prosecute,” said Huffines.  Huffines noted that the comptroller’s office has its own police force and said he has hired a new chief for the agency’s Criminal Investigation Division. He is also looking to expand the division specifically to assist with government fraud investigations.  “Historically, the state of Texas has not really focused on that very much, and most governments haven’t,” said Huffines, arguing that Texas has a “massive fraud problem.” view article

The 2026-27 fiscal year tax rate is 82.86 cents per $100 evaluation, down from 82.92 cents last year. The rate includes 75.52 cents to maintain daily operations and 7.34 cents for debt payments.  Although the rate was lowered by a cent, the district expects to collect about 3.5% more property tax revenue after property values increased. Hudson ISD’s taxable value grew by about $20.7 million, or 3.17%  For a median-valued homestead worth $219,620, the district estimates the annual tax bill will be about $660 after the state’s $140,000 homestead exemption. That translates to $16 more than the estimated bill on a median-valued home last year. view article

w view article

Homeowners in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District could see a higher tax bill if voters approve a proposed tax rate increase in November. The SCUCISD Board of Trustees voted to put the tax rate proposition before voters, saying the additional revenue is needed to support teachers and student programs. view article

Georgetown ISD superintendent Dr. Devin Padavil welcomed students back to the classroom Wednesday, several days after board leaders approved a tax rate election. view article

Homeowners in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District could see a higher tax bill if voters approve a proposed tax rate increase in November. The SCUCISD Board of Trustees voted to put the tax rate proposition before voters, saying the additional revenue is needed to support teachers and student programs. view article

The Longview ISD board of trustees voted 5-0 to approve a waiver application that would allow the district to change how it splits state pre-K funding with partner childcare provider Rising Star Daycares. Under House Bill 2, at least 85% of state pre-K funding must go directly to a partner daycare — unless the state approves a waiver allowing a different arrangement. Longview ISD previously operated under a 50/50 split with Rising Star Daycares. The district is now seeking a 65/35 split, with 65% going to the daycare and 35% to the district. view article

All but three of San Antonio’s public school districts will likely be operating in the red again this school year.  According to a review of financial reports and public discussions for a dozen school districts this summer, the vast majority are cutting expenses left and right for the 2026-27 school year. Administrators say budget cuts are tied to Texas putting more constraints on how districts can use state funds and collect local property taxes.  view article

After the Georgetown Independent School District board of trustees approved a balanced budget last month for the 2026-2027 school year, the district is now weighing how to raise funds for increased teacher view article

A West Texas school district is considering suing the state over how it calculates a part of public-school funding. The Midland Independent School District Board of Trustees is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to move forward with filing a lawsuit against the state of Texas over the state’s public school finance system. The lawsuit, if filed, will argue the state’s mandatory school property-tax rate and recapture system is not constitutional. view article

The Tyler Independent School District school board voted Monday to approve a new compensation package for the 2026-2027 school year covering teachers, staff, police officers, coaches, and support employees. view article

Following approvals for employee raises, stipends and benefit increases, Friendswood ISD officials are projecting a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026-27, according to an update presented at the July 13 board meeting. view article

Round Rock ISD board members on June 17 adopted a $467.42 million general operating budget for fiscal year 2021-22. The general operating fund budget includes $444.53 million in revenues and $467.42 million in expenses, creating a deficit in this fund of $17.2 million, RRISD Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Adix said. view article

State lawmakers were prepared for a budget crunch, since the COVID-19 pandemic slashed revenues from sales taxes, energy taxes, and other sources. The question they now face is how to close the shortfall without choking off long-term growth.  The answer is far from clear, but it’s certain to involve cuts to popular programs.  In fact, such cuts are what's expected this session. The state comptroller's office says lawmakers need to close a shortfall of nearly $1 billion in revenues. And Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee, noted that Gov. Greg Abbott has asked state agencies to reduce budgets by 5%. view article

Bryan ISD's Board of Trustees have approved a one-time $500 supplement for their salaried employees. Teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, administrators and professional staff receive their pay bonus on their Dec 15 paycheck. view article

Texas pre-K programs are just scraping by after losing millions of dollars last year — and without sustainable funding, they could see greater problems down the line, school officials say. During the 2017 legislative session, lawmakers decided not to fund a $118 million high-quality pre-K grant program that was created in 2015 and championed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The money had gone to 573 districts and charter schools that pledged to meet measures such as setting a lower student-teacher ratio, avoiding Common Core curricula and reporting student progress to the state. view article

Burnet school district officials were probably expecting to get more than two years from the synthetic turf installed at Bulldog Field in 2015, but that didn’t happen and it’s now set the district back $150,000. Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Keith McBurnett, however, said the district is looking to get $105,000 back from one manufacturer. Last year, officials noticed some turf fibers sticking up higher than others, so they took a closer look, McBurnett said. “To most people, it probably wasn’t noticeable,” he said. “We had all the experts look at the field, and they looked at the backside. It needed to be replaced.” view article