\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Richardson ISD board of trustees agreed to hold off on a voter-approval tax rate election amid declining revenue and enrollment.<\/p>\n
The board also considered investment in a marketing campaign to increase revenue through greater enrollment at the May 14<\/a> meeting ahead of adopting the 2026-27 budget in June.<\/p>\n The overview<\/p>\n Despite the $25.7 million<\/a> in budget cuts<\/a> that the district announced in April, RISD is still expecting a shortfall of at least $21 million in next year\u2019s budget, said David Pate, assistant superintendent of finance and support services. That shortfall is expected to grow over the next several years.<\/p>\n RISD is facing declining enrollment<\/a> at the same time that district budgets are becoming increasingly determined by student numbers<\/a>, Pate said at a previous meeting.<\/p>\n Growing enrollment is the primary method to increase district funding, so the board has been considering<\/a> a \u201cdistrict awareness campaign\u201d that would involve a partnership with an outside agency and a multichannel, targeted marketing push to recruit and retain RISD students.<\/p>\n While original plans showed the marketing campaign could cost up to $500,000, board members supported a smaller investment with a phased approach.<\/p>\n Board members also decided against holding a voter-approval tax rate election this November, another method to raise revenue through an increase to the maintenance and operations tax rate.<\/p>\n Zooming in<\/p>\n The proposed VATRE would have included a 3.17-cent tax rate increase on the ballot this November, which if approved would provide the district an additional $7.7 million in revenue next year, Pate said.<\/p>\n Trustee Vanessa Pacheco advocated against holding the tax rate election this year, as she said it would be a \u201cbig ask\u201d of voters so soon after they approved the 2025 bond<\/a> and would create a financial burden on the community.<\/p>\n \u201cEconomically, our families are going through it, right? They\u2019re already depending on a lot of our free lunches and things like that,\u201d Pacheco said. \u201cI know [a VATRE] brings in money, but it does also bring hardship to our community.\u201d<\/p>\n It would also cost the district money to hold an election in a time when RISD needs to be mindful of additional expenses, she said.<\/p>\n The outlook<\/p>\n Pate warned in a previous meeting that this year could be the last opportunity for RISD to hold a VATRE because the state Legislature could restrict districts\u2019 ability to increase tax rates in the upcoming 2027 legislative session.<\/p>\n However, Gov. Greg Abbott has also advocated for eliminating school property taxes<\/a> as a whole, which would fundamentally reshape school funding and render a potential tax rate election irrelevant. According to RISD\u2019s website<\/a>, local funding and property taxes make up roughly two-thirds of district revenue.<\/p>\n \u201c[If] in the legislative session, they take away the ability for schools to be funded through property taxes, have we not then exhausted our community on something that really makes no difference?\u201d trustee Megan Timme said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to need some clarity from the legislative session to see if that is a lever that we can pull at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Board members agreed to wait until after next year\u2019s legislative session to consider holding a VATRE.<\/p>\n The approach<\/p>\n In the enrollment push, board President Chris Poteet said the district should be \u201cdeliberate\u201d in choosing which marketing materials to invest in. The multichannel options include print ads, direct mailers, digital ads, events and additional methods.<\/p>\n Poteet advocated for a reduced investment\u2014less than the $500,000 maximum\u2014in options that will get RISD \u201cthe most bang for our buck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, our goal is to spend less in the district,\u201d Poteet said.<\/p>\n Roughly 75 newly enrolled students district-wide would allow the marketing campaign to break even at full price, with any additional students generating a profit for the district. Timme said the campaign has a \u201crealistic potential\u201d of bringing in enough students to profit because RISD enrolled 210 new students last year without a targeted advertising push through open enrollment<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know sometimes you have to spend money if you\u2019re going to try to generate revenue,\u201d Superintendent Tabitha Branum said. \u201cWe believe we have an opportunity to invest in marketing and branding\u2014targeted marketing to individuals who we might be able to recover, retain or recruit to Richardson ISD.\u201d<\/p>\n Put in perspective<\/p>\n