Round Rock ISD -

Dear Round Rock ISD community,

Thank you for your partnership with us and with public education. Texas public schools are navigating one of the most complex sets of funding challenges we’ve seen in years, possibly ever, and we do that work always keeping you and our students at the forefront of our decisions.

We often tell people, “School finance is complex and complicated,” because the number of factors outside our control that affect our finances is staggering—Legislative changes, rising health care costs, a lack of affordable housing, declining birth rates, reductions in property tax contributions to schools, pressures from the state’s school voucher programs and student funding allocations that have not kept pace with inflation.

We have been proactively managing district resources through careful budgeting, strategic planning and long-term forecasting, but those outside factors continue to affect our district. That careful consideration and management have ensured that the district continues to earn the highest financial ratings.

As we look ahead and take into account all the factors both within and outside our control, current projections indicate we may close the school year with a $14 million shortfall.

As a reference:
Our monthly operating budget is roughly $31.5 million, which allows us to provide every student with the support, programs and opportunities they need to succeed.

Nearly 90% of our overall operating budget is dedicated to salaries for our hardworking staff.

Budgets throughout the district have been tightened, and we are continuing to evaluate and balance responsibilities and redefine roles to best serve students and staff.

We’re grateful to our voters for making it possible to continue vital Bond projects that improve our schools. And just as a reminder, Bond dollars are legally required to be used only for the projects voters approved last year and can’t be used for teacher salaries or raises.

Even as we face these challenges, we are deeply grateful for our generous community partners, volunteers and families who support our students in countless ways. Your contributions remind us that education is truly a collaborative effort.

Thank you for your continued partnership—I’ll continue to share updates along the way.