During a special called session on June 24, the Spring Independent School District Board of Trustees approved the district’s 2025-26 operating budget, totaling $476.2 million.
The overall operating budget includes approximately $353.2 million in general fund expenditures, $38.1 million in child nutrition expenditures, and $84.8 million in debt service expenditures.
Additional highlights also include staff raises, stipends for critical shortage areas and increasing starting teacher pay, which comes after the passage of House Bill 2 (HB 2) in May, following extensive state legislative negotiations. Although widely described as a “historic” investment in education, the bill primarily targets compensation increases for teachers and imposes new restrictions on how districts may allocate funds for other essential staff.
Further complicating matters, HB 2 raised the basic allotment by just $55 per student—from $6,160 to $6,215—far short of the estimated $1,300 per student increase needed to match inflation and rising operational costs. The basic allotment serves as the foundational funding stream for school districts, covering critical needs such as salaries, insurance, classroom supplies, safety measures, and student support services.
“This budget approval reflects our ongoing commitment to our students and staff, ensuring we continue to invest in quality education while remaining fiscally responsible,” said Spring ISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Kregg Cuellar. “Even with a modest state increase under HB 2, our team has worked strategically to stretch every dollar—investing in teacher pay, stipends for critical areas, and wellness initiatives, while safeguarding the core operations that our 33,678 students rely on.”
Like many districts across the state, Spring ISD was forced to delay finalizing its budget and compensation plans until lawmakers concluded their work on school finance. Earlier this month, trustees approved pay increases and other equity adjustments to better align Spring ISD staff salaries with those of surrounding districts across the region, as follows:
Current certified teachers, librarians, and interventionists:
Those with 0 to 4 years of experience will receive a $2,725 general pay increase
Those with 5 or more years of experience will receive a $5,000 increase
All other employee groups will receive a general pay increase of 4% based on the midpoint of their 25-26 Compensation Plan salary range.*
*District of Innovation (DOI) Aspiring Teachers, Emerging Teachers, and Interim Teachers do not qualify under ‘all other employee groups’ and will not receive an increase to their salary.
In addition, because we value all our employees, all full-time returning employees will receive a one-time retention benefit incentive of $1,000, to be paid out on the November 25 payroll. All employees will also receive two personal wellness days.
With a projected enrollment for the upcoming school year of 33,678 students, trustees reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining strong day-to-day operations while continuing to invest in the district’s schools of choice and specialty programs. These offerings remain a vital part of Spring ISD’s mission to provide a high-quality, personalized education for every student. However, trustees also acknowledged the financial challenges ahead, with a leaner budget and anticipated shortfalls for the 2025-26 school year.
“Our educators and staff deserve even more than what we’re able to provide in this year’s budget, and believe me, we explored every option to make that happen,” said Spring ISD Board President Justine Durant. “In the end, we had to balance our desire to give more with the need to remain fiscally responsible. This compensation plan is a step forward, and we’ll continue advocating for the funding our staff truly deserve.”
To proactively address those challenges, the Spring ISD Finance Department collaborated closely with campus leaders and a cross-functional district team to identify potential reductions and operational efficiencies. These efforts helped the district reach necessary budget targets ahead of the state’s required June 30 budget adoption deadline, even though final tax rates won’t be approved until later in the year.
One key focus during this year’s budget planning process was the district’s Optimization Plan, which was also discussed at Tuesday’s meeting. The plan is designed to evaluate the effectiveness and return on investment of academic and instructional programs, while also assessing school boundaries, feeder patterns, and the potential for school consolidation as early as the 2026-27 school year.