A balanced budget was recently passed for the Dublin Independent School District after a ton of work by financial staff.
At the Monday, Aug. 25 Dublin ISD school board meeting, the district’s 2025-26 tax rate is $0.8585 per $100 valuation with $.7552 for Maintenance and Operations and $.1033 for Interest and Sinking (debt service).
Business Manager Kassi Eads explained the rate increased slightly on the I&S side, however, the M&O stayed exactly the same.
However, local revenue per student will drop from $5,331 last year, to $5,169 this year.
Despite a slight increase in taxes, the average homeowner is anticipated to see a savings due to an increase in homestead exemption amount if passed in November.
Last year, the average homeowner paid $312.28 in ISD taxes and this year they will pay $114.92 for ISD taxes.
The district also passed its budget at the recent meeting with $19.2 million in revenues and expenditures in the General Fund.
These expenditures in the general fund include $6.9 million in instruction, $66,000 for library and media services, $266,152 for curriculum and staff development, $12,984 for instructional leadership, $840,835 for school leadership, $332,989 for guidance and counseling, $235,563 for health services, $637,735 for student transportation, $2,369 for cafeteria, $977,231 for extracurricular/ cocurricular activities, $862,534 for general administration, $2.3 million for maintenance and operation, $401,500 for security and monitoring, $510,593 for data processing services, $3.7 million for facilities acquisition and construction and $525,000 for payments to fiscal agent of SSA.
In the cafeteria fund, revenues total $1,020,000 and expenditures total $1,030,000.
In debt service, revenues and expenditures balance at $638,825.
As a part of this year’s budget, the district is having to have completely new roofs on every building in DISD. The estimated insurance deductable on this project will be $750,000 to $1 million.
Also within the budget were raises some of which were state-mandated.
DISD will again be giving an efficiency payment for all employees in November based on years of service ranging from $500 on the low end to $1,500 on the top end.
Employees enjoy the payment to help with Christmas expenses, the district said.
The district had already approved their employee compensation plan, their atwill employee salaries and their administrator salaries earlier this summer.
For all teachers, they will still receive their step increase payments as well as some form of raise.
For teachers with no experience up to 2 years, the district is giving them a $500 raise funded from local dollars. For example, a first year teacher will be receiving $36,460 plus an additional $500 supplement.
For teachers with 3-5 years of experience, they will receive a $4,000 raise funded by the state. For example, a three year teacher will receive $38,650 plus a $4,000 supplement.
For teachers over 5 years of experience, they will receive an $8,000 raise funded by the state. For example, a five year teacher will receive $41,730 plus an $8,000 supplement.
These raises amount to $460,000 from the state.
DISD is adding the funds as a supplemental payment to make it easier to track, however, it still counts in the teacher’s base pay and for their retirement.
Masters and PHd degrees of education also have a supplemental payment of $500.
These raises are for classroom teachers only.
For counselors, diagnosticians etc. they will receive an additional $3,000 supplement, bringing their total supplement paid by DISD up to $10,000.
Nurses are getting an additional $1,000 supplement, bringing their total supplement up to $8,000. Both of these are paid for from local dollars.
At-Will employees such as custodial staff will receive a 4% raise partially funded through the state and partially funded with local dollars. The state is providing $53,000 out of the needed $76,000.
Administrators will receive a 2% raise completely funded through local dollars.
During the meeting, the district also received good news receiving a 96 on its Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST).
The only thing the district got penalized for is administration cost per student being a little bit high.