Fort Bend ISD is projecting a potential $36.4 million deficit headed into the 2025-26 school year, a gap it is hoping to close in part by reducing costs, eliminating open positions and possibly increasing taxes, district officials said this week.
The board plans to adopt the budget at its June 23 meeting. Fort Bend ISD is the sixth largest in Texas with about 80,000 students, although enrollment has been declining.
By the numbers
Bryan Guinn, Fort Bend ISD chief financial officer, said Monday that the district is expecting to end this school year with a $16.8 million budget shortfall and with its 90-day fund balance intact. As part of his presentation, Guinn dived into three options available to address the district’s shortfall, including undertaking immediate cost reductions, using disaster pennies to offset costs for one year or using a combination of reductions, fund balance and potential disaster pennies.
“We have worked collaboratively as an (executive) team to identify $10.5 million that includes $7.6 million at the department level,” Guinn said. “We’ve identified 22 vacant positions in administration that will be eliminated and that saves $2.4 million. We’re also making maintenance and operations reductions that total $4.46 million and about $700,000 in software savings.”…