Stafford property owners will learn Monday, Aug. 24, whether their school tax rate stays put for a third straight year when the Stafford Municipal School District Board of Trustees and City Council cast a final vote on the district's $45.1 million budget and a $1.002121-per-$100 tax rate.
The joint meeting is set for 7 p.m. in the Board Room of the Scarcella Administration Building, 1633 Staffordshire Road, according to the meeting agenda. A public hearing will precede the votes.
The proposed rate, split between $0.786900 for maintenance and operations and $0.215221 for debt service, is identical to the rate adopted last year. It marks a significant decline from the $1.2401 rate the district charged a decade ago.
What's in the budget
The balanced $45,113,178 spending plan projects enrollment of 3,532 students and assumes a 98% tax collection rate. Classroom instruction accounts for 54% of expenditures, roughly $24.5 million, and payroll makes up 77% of total spending.
Teachers will receive step increases costing the general fund an estimated $101,996. The district will also raise its employer contribution to TRS Active Care health insurance from $250 to $280 per month per employee, adding about $96,480. No across-the-board pay raise is included.
SMSD remains a "Robin Hood" recapture district and has budgeted $1,573,469 in payments to the state. State revenue is projected to rise from 18% to 24% of total revenue, driven by increased Foundation School Program and Teacher Retention Allotment funding.
One headwind: the district's certified taxable value dropped 3.16% to an estimated $4.18 billion, down from $4.32 billion the prior year.
How the vote works
Under Texas Education Code Section 11.303, Stafford's City Council and school board jointly levy the district's property taxes. After the combined roll-call vote on the budget and tax rate, the City Council will separately adopt an ordinance authorizing the assessment, levy and collection of those taxes for the 2026 tax year.
At last year's equivalent meeting on Aug. 25, 2025, both bodies approved the budget and tax rate 14-0, and the council passed the levy ordinance 7-0.
Superintendent Dr. Adam Stephens and Chief Financial Officer Dovran Ovezov will present the budget. Mayor Ken Mathew will open the meeting with remarks on the joint-levy process.
The City of Stafford said after the first budget workshop on June 25 that officials "reviewed finances for the school district, adjustments to new Texas laws and other important matters."
The new fiscal year begins Sept. 1. Residents who need accommodations or interpretive services should contact the City Secretary's Office at (281) 261-3900 at least 48 hours before the meeting.
