ASHLEY TERRY
In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” — the same sentiment echoed by Azle Independent School District officials during the June 15 budget approval process.
After a brief discussion, the board of trustees unanimously approved a balanced budget of $105.8 million for the 2026-27 school year that also includes additional compensation and benefits for employees.
According to Chief Financial Officer Summer Mathis, the district plans to award a 1% raise off the pay grade midpoint, a $25 increase in the district’s monthly health insurance contribution, plus market adjustments for all positions.
She added the district plans to continue its longevity pay program, which will allow professional employees to receive an additional $300 and paraprofessionals to earn $150 for every five years of service. The annual payments are distributed annually through employee’s monthly paychecks.
Superintendent Todd Smith said the district doesn’t “toot its own horn” enough when referring to the longevity pay as it’s not something every district offers — and in fact, wasn’t even recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards.
“TASB has recommended we do away with it and put all that (revenue) toward salary, but we feel like that's still an Azle thing that we like to do,” Smith said.
Mathis explained the budget will allocate $84 million to the general fund, $4.7 million to food service and $17.1 million to debt service, with each fund expected to bring in enough revenue to cover expenses.
“What we were able to do was present a balanced budget to you in all three of those funds,” Mathis said. “I want to give a public ‘thank you’ to all of the principals and the departments that came together and did all the budget workshops. This was new for them, because I was new, the process was new and a lot of them are new to the budget process, but they did fantastic.”
While the district will have a balanced budget this year, Mathis said officials are still working on raising its fund balance after it previously fell below the board’s target. She added she has been acting “very conservative” with those funds this year to try to meet the 60-day minimum cash-on-hand requirement.
Mathis said the district plans to adopt the same tax rate — $1.0850 per $100 valuation — in August after the Texas Education Agency releases the maximum compression rate.
