Victoria ISD adopts 2026–27 budget balancing M&O, debt service and child nutrition

The Victoria ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the district's proposed 2026'27 budgets, approving a maintenance and operations budget of $135,373,099, a debt service (I&S) fund balanced at about $18,500,000, and the child nutrition budget.

In a presentation before the vote, district staff said the M&O figure is set primarily by the state funding formula and local revenue additions (pre-K tuition, rentals and interest). "Dollars 135,373,099," the presenter stated, describing Fund 199 as the district's largest bucket, paying mainly payroll. The presenter explained the debt service fund would be supported by an I&S rate of 0.2211 and noted $2,000,000 of the debt service revenue would come from additional state homestead exemption funding.

Board members and public commenters asked about enrollment and how state formulas affect district revenue. Staff said the budget was built on a projection near 12,000 students and that current enrollment was 12,032; they acknowledged the district is roughly 200 students below last year's published numbers and that attendance assumptions of about 93'94% were used in planning. Staff also said child nutrition funding decreased from approximately $9.9 million to $9.3 million because fewer families returned surveys identifying economic disadvantage, which reduced federal reimbursements.

The motion to adopt the budgets was made by Ms. Marshall and seconded; the board approved the budgets by a 5'00 roll-call of raised hands. The vote was recorded as unanimous and the board moved forward to adopt a combined tax rate tied to the new bond debt.