PISD trustees heard the first report on the district's budget for the 2026-2027 school year, as well the proposed tax rate, which represents a slight decrease.

Nichole Powell, the assistant superintendent of finance, presented a preliminary report to the school board on the spending plan at the June 15 meeting.

The preliminary budget recommendation proposes a lower tax rate from $1.2073 to $1.2011 for the upcoming 2026-2027 budget year, which represents a reduction of less than 1 cent per $100 valuation.

The breakdown of the proposed tax rate is .7011 cents for maintenance and operation and .50 cents for debt reduction.

According to Ms. Powell, significant proposed expenditures impacting the preliminary budget include:

-additional 90+ teachers

-additional support staff

-additional dean of students at nine schools

-salary increases for contracted and non-contracted staff

-two new campuses opening

-start-up costs for district's 10th and 11th elementary schools

Ms. Powell reminded the school board that this preliminary budget reflects a spending plan to accommodate an expected enrollment of 12,712 students compared to only 8,069 just four years ago. In addition, teacher pay has increased from $54,000 for a first-year teacher in 2022-2023 to $62,000 for 2026-2027.

One challenge the district faces as it funds its proposed budget is that taxable value has only increased to $5,510,000,000 over $5,404,448,695 in '25-'26, in part because of increased homestead exemptions.

Other preliminary budget recommendations board members will consider at the upcoming budget workshop in July include:

-slight decrease in tax rate

-bond sales

-continuation of construction projects

Board members will conduct the budget workshop at the July 21 meeting, and there will be a public hearing for the district's 2026-2027 spending plan at the August meeting.

Trustees will then vote on the final budget and tax rate at the Aug. 17 meeting.

During Monday's school board meeting, Kolton Barnes with Claycomb Associates Architects reported that construction on the two new campuses opening for the coming school year are nearing completion.

Final cleanup is underway at both Banschbach Middle School, the district's 4th, as well as Carrell Elementary School, which will be the district's ninth.

Both schools are located across from each other on Brookside Drive, to the west of Beauchamp Boulevard.

Pending final approval, the district anticipates the buildings will be ready for occupancy in mid July in time for teachers to move in and prepare for the upcoming school year.

In addition to these two schools, which are in final stages, two new elementary schools have started the steel phase of construction, which means the structures are going vertical at both Abbot and Talley elementary schools.

One campus is planned for the northern portion of the school district, while the other will be in the far south.

Elementary No. 10 will be the Larry and Sandra Abbott Elementary School and is located on a 12-acre site in the Lennar neighborhood development at the intersection of FM 75 (Longneck Road) and County Road 831.

This property is situated on the east side of Longneck Road and north of both Monte Carlo Boulevard and the lagoon development.

Elementary No. 11 will be the Dianne Talley Elementary School and is located on a 10-acre site in southern Princeton. The site is in the Lennar neighborhood development of Tillage Farms along FM 982 near Tillage Drive about a mile south of the Bridgewater subdivision.

They will open for the 2027-2028 school year.