Northside ISD starts year with $38 million deficit, fewer vacancies

Northside Independent School District is entering its new school year planning to spend roughly $1 billion, which would mean a $38 million budget deficit.

The district’s board of trustees approved the 2025-26 budget on Tuesday, after months of budget talks and negotiations over how much funding could be expected under House Bill 2, the $8.5 billion public school funding bill passed by state lawmakers in May.

Under HB 2, the district is set to receive roughly $59.2 million, but the state mandates that nearly half of those funds be used for teacher pay increases. The district is also on the hook for nearly $4 million, the cost of implementing raises under the teacher retention allotment.

The rest of the money is sectioned off to pay for non-teacher raises and to implement other state mand