Financial Challenges? Check out TASB’s Toolkit for Strong Budget Discussions

In this current financial environment of stagnant state funding and inflationary price increases, the work of adopting a budget is expected to be more challenging than ever with many school boards in Texas having to make tough decisions about staffing and programs.  

Already, many school boards passed deficit budgets for the 2023-24 school year with the expectation that the 88^th Texas Legislature would provide additional funding to help address rising operational costs and salary increases to recruit and retain teachers.  

Yet the outcome of that session — and the four special sessions that followed — brought no relief. Ahead of the next school year, the difficult reality is that many school boards in Texas expect to adopt a deficit budget, adding uncertainty and risk to their financial outlooks and requiring staff and program cuts. 

To assist school boards, TASB has created a new resource, A Toolkit for Strong Budget Discussions: A Guide to Understanding Fundamental School Finance Topics, which covers a variety of budget-related topics, from understanding the basic allotment and tax rates to budget planning and staffing considerations. 

“We created this toolkit with our members in mind, and in consultation with the experts at the Texas Association of Business Officials, to make sure the content is both helpful and specific,” said TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell. “Our goal is to support members as they confront a very challenging financial environment and provide strategies and best practices that advance understanding of key school finance and budget topics.”  

The toolkit is available to members online (TASB login required).