Making Cents of School Funding

  • Denton ISD serves more than 33,000 students and employs more than 4,000 teachers and support staff. The district provides a well-balanced curriculum to meet the needs of all students offering advanced academics, concurrent college and high school enrollment credit, career, and technical education (CTE) career paths and certifications, early childhood, full-day kindergarten and a strong academic core.

    Denton ISD is committed to empowering lifelong learners, and the district is one of only a few across the state of Texas to offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) experience and K-12 continuum for students at all levels.


    Texas public schools face budget woes amid rising costs

  • When Texas lawmakers began the 89th Legislative Session on Jan. 14, 2025, the state had an estimated $21 billion in surplus revenue going into the new session.

    Schools across the state of Texas continue to face budget constraints as inflation rises and state funding remains stagnant. The Texas Legislature has not increased the $6,160 basic student allotment since 2019 or provided funds to address teacher salaries. 

    As a result, many districts, including Denton ISD, have been forced to adopt deficit budgets. Adjusted for inflation, the average Texas teacher made about $5,000 less in 2023 than in 2020.

    There is no indication that the state is considering increasing the basic student allotment, but there is optimism that there may be some funds for teacher pay.

Unfunded mandates are adding to the financial strain

  • In addition, public schools in Texas face significant financial challenges due to changes in state laws, particularly through unfunded mandates that are only partially supported by the state.

    A notable example is House Bill 3, which mandates that an armed security officer be present at all schools. The state of Texas provided only $15,000 for each of these positions

     

    Thankfully, Denton ISD has a history of strong fiscal responsibility

  • Conservative spending, paying off voter-approved bonds early and balanced budgets have positioned our district well during hard economic times. In fact, Denton ISD has received the highest possible Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) rating from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for 22 consecutive years. 

    But just like many of our families, we have felt the impact of rising costs for utilities, fuel, labor and services.

    The truth is, driving a bus costs more today than it did five years ago. Serving a hot plate lunch costs more than it did five years ago; and the simple act of turning on the lights or water costs more than it did five years ago.