Edinburg CISD Board to Consider Budget, Tax Rate, and Safety Audit at Tuesday Night’s Meeting
Staff Report
EDINBURG TX – The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District board of trustees will meet Tuesday to take up several key items, including the approval of the district’s 2025-26 budget, the adoption of new tax rates, a safety and security audit, and the hiring of a new director of finance.
Trustees are scheduled to vote on a $42,400 contract with the Region One Education Service Center to conduct the district’s 2025-26 safety and security audit. The cost would be covered by ECISD’s safety funds.
Board members will also consider approving the proposed 2025-26 general and debt service fund budget, a major financial blueprint that outlines operating expenses and debt obligations for the upcoming school year.
Alongside the budget, trustees will weigh adoption of Resolution No. 2026-02, which sets the district’s maintenance and operations and debt service tax rates for the 2025 tax year. Setting the tax rates finalizes the district’s revenue plan tied to the new budget cycle.
As The Edinburg Advocate reported last week, the proposed total tax rate is $0.8617 per $100 of property valuation, compared with last year’s $0.8727. The rate includes $0.7759 for maintenance and operations and $0.0858 for debt service, the same amount allocated for bonded indebtedness in the prior year.
Under the proposal, the average homeowner would see a reduction in school property taxes. Last year, the average tax bill was $881.11, while this year it is projected at $692.43, a decrease of nearly $189.
The district’s proposed budget calls for a 3.47 percent increase in maintenance and operations spending, while debt service expenditures will decline by about 0.57 percent. Overall, total expenditures are projected to rise 3.37 percent.
Appraised property values across the district rose to $16.8 billion this year, up from $14.7 billion in the previous year. Taxable property values also increased, reaching $10.4 billion compared with $10.0 billion last year.
The district continues to carry $102.8 million in bonded indebtedness, which is financed through the debt service portion of the tax rate. The bonds and associated tax rate were approved by voters.
State law requires voter approval if the district adopts a tax rate higher than $0.8666. The proposed $0.8617 rate falls below that threshold.
In closed session, the board is expected to discuss personnel matters, including the hiring of a new director of finance for the district’s Finance and Operations Department. Any action on that item will take place in open session before adjournment.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the ECISD boardroom.
Source — Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees.