ROUND ROCK, Texas — Round Rock ISD is expecting its 2024-2025 budget to turn from a deficit to a surplus. That change is due to the district selling 7.5 acres of property on Cypress Boulevard.
During a school board meeting earlier this month, district leaders said that sale could give Round Rock ISD a surplus of more than $8 million.
The district expects to close on the $9.3 million sale sometime in March.
It comes as the majority of Central Texas districts are struggling with budget deficits this school year. Austin ISD began the school year with a $41 million budget deficit, even after making $29 million in cuts.
School funding formulas in Texas have not been updated since 2019, despite a multibillion-dollar state budget surplus. With the 89th Texas legislative session underway, lawmakers have proposed new funding for public schools but also funding for private school vouchers using taxpayer money.
Last summer, Round Rock ISD also made spending cuts to address its budget deficit. It comes after voters passed a tax rate election to fund compensation increases for teachers and staff in 2023.
In November 2024, voters in Round Rock approved a $932.2 million bond package to improve all the schools in the district, including building updates, technology upgrades and upgrades to the district’s fine arts programs.