The Aldine Independent School District’s seven-member Board of Trustees unanimously approved its 2025-26 adopted budget and proposed tax rate. It reflects a financially cautious school year amid anticipated but yet-to-be-disbursed state funding.
The general operating budget totals $693.6 million, a 4% decrease from the 2024-25 school year. The district expects to generate a total revenue of $645.2 million, resulting in a budget deficit of $48.4 million. The board also greenlit a $852 million expenditure plan for the upcoming academic year.
“We worked on our 2025-26 budget since January,” said Chief Financial Officer Timothy Momanyi. “With the district’s strategic priorities in mind, the program-based budgeting process was implemented, allowing every department to have an active part in the budget development process.”
Key spending areas
Instruction remains Aldine ISD’s largest investment area, with $375.4 million earmarked for teaching and learning, along with $1.1 million for instructional resources and media services, $16 million for curriculum and staff development and $16 million for instructional leadership.
Additional major expenditures include:
- Food services: $51.9 million
- Student transportation: $41.5 million
- School leadership: $45.6 million
- Guidance and counseling services: $36.8 million
- Plant maintenance and operations: $68.2 million
- Debt service payments: $105.9 million
- Security: $14.5 million
The district has also allocated funds for social work services ($3 million), health services ($7 million), extracurriculars ($10 million), general administration ($27 million) and data processing ($13 million).
Two new budget items were added under state legislative requirements: $25,750 for legally mandated public notices and $15,000 to account for lobbying-related expenditures. These reflect new reporting rules established under Senate Bill 622 and House Bill 1495, passed by the Texas Legislature during the 85th and 86th Legislative sessions.
Tax rate holds steady
Aldine ISD’s proposed tax rate for the 2025-26 school year remains unchanged at $1.034 per $100 of assessed property value. This includes 73.15 cents for maintenance and operations and 30.25 cents for interest and sinking fund. However, official approval of the rate must wait until August when the district receives certified property values from the Harris County Appraisal District.
Budget deficit and state funding gap
The adopted budget does not factor in additional state funds expected from the recently passed HB 2, which allocates $8.5 billion in public education funding statewide.
The bill, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, allocates:
- $4 billion for teacher and staff pay raises
- $153 million to expand career and technical education opportunities
- $834 million for special education reforms
- $648 million to improve early literacy and numeracy
- $187 million for teacher preparation and certification programs
- $430 million for school safety
- $1.3 billion for school district operational costs
- $199 million to expand charter school facilities
- $318 million for small and rural schools
- $296 million for adjustments to the Tier II funding formula that provides a $55 basic allotment increase per student
While Aldine ISD, like other Texas school districts, anticipates receiving support from House Bill 2, the absence of that funding in the current budget reflects both the delayed rollout of the bill and a cautious financial strategy.
According to the adopted budget, state revenues are projected at $385.8 million, with local sources contributing $342.7 million and federal funds supplying $56.8 million.
The board also approved final amendments for the current 2024-25 budget and renewed several purchasing cooperatives and interlocal agreements.
