The Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees announced Thursday that it has “formally expressed significant concerns regarding the recently adopted budget of the Denton Central Appraisal District.”
In a letter sent to DCAD Chief Appraiser Don Spencer and the DCAD Board, the LISD Board detailed the adverse impact of the increased budget on the district’s financial health and its ability to maintain essential educational services, the district said in a news release. The adopted DCAD budget imposes an additional $525,000 burden on LISD for the fiscal year 2025, which the Board equates to the loss of eight teaching positions. The letter highlights the stark contrast between the budget increases for DCAD employees, who are receiving a 3% cost of living raise and some a 2% merit increase, and the situation within LISD, where employees are not receiving any raise due to budget constraints.
“Neither Denton ISD nor Lewisville ISD employees are receiving a raise at this time, and we are facing the adoption of deficit budgets,” the LISD Board said in the letter. “To give a 1% raise, our organization needs $4M. Instead of providing a raise, we will be paying over $4M to DCAD while our employees see their paychecks decrease due to rising insurance costs.”
The LISD Board emphasized that the perception of increased public school funding is misleading, citing a “public school funding crisis” exacerbated by a state formula that fails to account for inflation. Over the past five years, LISD has paid $200,244,306 in recapture payments to the state of Texas, which does not contribute to additional funding for the district. The Board also warned that without intervention from state officials to increase the basic allotment, LISD might be unable to absorb future DCAD budget increases.
While the district is not holding a special meeting to disapprove the current DCAD budget, the Board indicated that it would consider disapproving future budgets if necessary adjustments are not made.
“As the largest contributor to the DCAD budget, we are sounding the alarm that change must happen for public schools,” the Board stated. “We urge the DCAD Board to reconsider its approach and ensure that future decisions align with the best interests of the entire community.”
The letter concluded with a call to action for the DCAD Board and other local leaders to join LISD in advocating for an increase in public education funding, stressing that the future of the DCAD budget and its ability to meet growing demands is directly tied to the funding of local school districts.
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