Stafford taxpayers will see no change in their school district tax rate after the City Council and Stafford Municipal School District Board of Trustees jointly approved a $45.1 million budget for the 2026-27 school year.

Members of both bodies voted at a joint Budget & Tax Adoption Meeting on Monday, Aug. 24, at the Scarcella Administration Building, 1633 Staffordshire Road. The City of Stafford confirmed the approval on Tuesday, Aug. 25, but did not release the vote tally. Last year's budget passed 14-0.

The tax rate holds at $1.00212 per $100 of assessed valuation, split between $0.78690 for maintenance and operations and $0.21522 for debt service. That rate has fallen steadily over the past decade, down from $1.2401 in 2017.

The balanced spending plan matches revenues and expenditures at $45,113,178. Local property taxes generate 75% of revenue ($33.97 million), state funds account for 24% ($10.74 million) and federal dollars make up the remaining 1% ($410,000).

State revenue jumped roughly $2.1 million over the prior year's budgeted amount, driven by a higher Foundation School Program allotment of $6.5 million and a new $1.4 million Teacher Retention Allotment. The district still owes $1.57 million in Robin Hood recapture payments to the state.

Classroom instruction accounts for 54% of spending, and payroll makes up 77% of the total budget. The plan includes no general employee pay raise but does fund teacher step increases, adding an estimated $101,996 to the general fund, and bumps the district's TRS Active Care employer health contribution from $250 to $280 per month.

Enrollment is projected at 3,532 students, flat from the current year.

The budget process stretched across three joint workshops beginning June 25, when CFO Dovran Ovezov presented revenue projections and tax-rate options and Superintendent Dr. Adam Stephens presented enrollment data to both boards. Additional workshops followed Aug. 11 and Aug. 18 before Monday's final vote.

Under Texas Education Code Section 11.303, Stafford's City Council must jointly levy taxes with the school board and approve the district's budget, a governance structure nearly unique in Texas. Mayor Ken Mathew and Board President Ash Hamirani presided over the process alongside their respective members.

The district's certified taxable value declined 3.16% year over year to an estimated $4.18 billion, a factor that contributed to tighter budget margins heading into the workshops. As we reported Aug. 25, officials had been working to close a projected $1.9 million structural gap identified earlier in the process.

The new fiscal year begins Sept. 1. Meeting minutes, including the official vote count, have not yet been posted to the city's website.