Despite facing budget deficits in many Texas school districts, Round Rock ISD is projecting a surplus in its balanced budget for the 2024-25 school year. The district will sell surplus property for $9.3 million, contributing to an estimated $8.2 million surplus. Although the district achieved a balanced budget through significant spending cuts, officials emphasize the need for continued financial prudence.
Despite many school districts across the state operating within budget deficits this school year, Round Rock ISD is bucking the trend. Officials shared during last week's regular board meeting that the district's balanced budget adopted for fiscal year 2024-25 is projected to actually turn into a surplus of about $8.2 million. The district expects to close on the $9.3 million sale sometime in March, Dennis Covington, Round Rock ISD's chief financial officer said at the meeting.
'We are fortunate that we had this property that we could sell, and that really there’s no use for it for the district,' Round Rock ISD Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez told KUT. 'We are trying to be cognizant of the fact that we have to be the best steward of our taxpayers’ money,' he said. 'So the goal is to really keep that money as a surplus and put it in our fund balance for future use in case of emergencies.' Round Rock ISD was among the three districts that reported balanced budgets for the fiscal year, alongside Jarrell ISD and Thrall ISD in Hays, Williamson and Travis counties.But Azaiez told KUT the process was not easy. The district had to make roughly $30 million in spending cuts to get there. 'We made those difficult decisions, and that's how we got there, right? That's how we ended up presenting to our board a balanced budget,' he said. 'But I don't want anybody to think that that was an easy thing, or we just we were lucky. I mean, again, we're blessed in many ways, but we had to make difficult decisions.' Those decisions included reducing departmental and campus-level budgets for things such as instructional technology and behavioral services, as well as freezing the hiring process for unfilled or reassigned staff positions. At last week's regular board meeting, Round Rock ISD Trustee Amber Landrum expressed concern about the district's fund balance, or savings account, despite the newly projected surplus. She suggested that the district explore other opportunities to sell unused property to further cushion its savings. 'As we're entering budget season, looking at every opportunity that we have to go as lean as we can,' she said. 'Because I would rather sell property than make decisions that are going to affect our kids.
Round Rock ISD School Budget Surplus Property Sale Spending Cuts Texas Education
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