Georgetown ISD Trustees Adopt Balanced Budget for 2026-27
Trustees approved the 2026-2027 budget during Monday’s board meeting, which supports two main priorities outlined earlier in the school year: maintaining the district’s balanced budget while making strategic investments in employee compensation, benefits, and healthcare services.
The proposed budget includes approximately $668,000 in compensation adjustments, including:
Increases to the teacher step scale while maintaining a starting teacher salary of $57,000 for first-year teachers;
Critical pay adjustments in select positions based on recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) to improve market competitiveness;
Transportation pay scale adjustments; and
Compensation adjustments for substitute teachers, counselors, and nurses.
Additionally, the district is investing nearly $2 million to absorb rising employee health insurance costs, preventing those increases from being passed on to employees.
“While these recommendations represent meaningful investments in our people, we recognize that it’s not enough,” said Board President James Scherer. “And it doesn’t address our desire to increase compensation for everyone.”
One way to generate additional funding for staff raises is through a Tax Ratification Election (TRE). A TRE would require voter approval to increase the district's maintenance and operations tax rate, which could generate more than $6 million for the district, while maintaining one of the lowest school district tax rates in Williamson County.
Revenue generated through a TRE would provide ongoing funding, creating a sustainable source of support for employee compensation and maintaining student programs into the future.
"Our employees deserve more,” said Superintendent Devin Padavil. “They continue to deliver exceptional results for students despite significant financial challenges facing public education. Evidence of student learning, including preliminary STAAR results, shows significant gains in all areas across the district. I’m incredibly proud of the people that serve our children and they deserve compensation that keeps up with the soaring cost of living in Central Texas."
The Board of Trustees has not yet called an election. A third-party survey will be conducted later this month to inform the community about the district's funding needs and gauge support for a potential tax rate increase. If called, a TRE could appear on the November 2026 ballot.
