Brackett ISD Proposes 2025-2026 Budget: Instruction Gets a Boost, Extras Tighten Up

Brackett ISD has released its Proposed Budget for the 2025–2026 school year, and while the total increase from last year’s budget may seem small—just 0.13% or $13,464 more—the shifts within the budget tell a bigger story.

Let’s dive into what’s changing, why it matters, and what it means for students, staff, and taxpayers.

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📚 Instruction Spending Rises by Over $467K

The district is putting more dollars where it matters most: in the classroom.

Category	2024–25 Budget	2025–26 Proposed	Change	% Change
Instruction (Function 11)	$4,223,189	$4,644,724	+$421,535	+9.98%
Instructional Media (Function 12)	$57,261	$103,936	+$46,675	+81.5%
Staff Development (Function 13)	$53,291	$52,607	-$684	-1.3%

🎓 Per-pupil instructional spending is projected to rise from $8,514 to $9,414, indicating a stronger investment in student outcomes.

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🛠️ District Operations Remain Steady

While facilities and transportation are essential, spending in these areas is mostly flat or slightly reduced:

Area	Change	Notable Shifts
Maintenance & Operations	↓ $50,595	Trimmed slightly for efficiency
Student Transportation	↓ $60	Nearly identical to last year
Food Services	↓ $17,272	Slight reduction in meal costs
Data Processing	↑ $52,228	Likely reflects tech upgrades

🧠 Data Processing saw the biggest operations increase, possibly pointing toward infrastructure or cybersecurity improvements.

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🧑‍🏫 Leadership & Support See Mixed Changes

Some support services saw gains, while others slimmed down:

Function	2024–25	2025–26	Notable Movement
Instructional Leadership	$24,770	$50,635	Doubled spending
Guidance & Counseling	$138,857	$219,529	↑ by $80K
Co-curricular / Extracurricular Activities	$858,650	$536,420	↓ by $322K

🎭 The biggest drop was in extracurriculars—down 37.5%, which may impact athletics, clubs, or field trips unless offset by grants or fundraising.

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🏛️ Central Administration Ticks Up Slightly

Category	2024–25	2025–26	Change
General Administration	$735,959	$787,117	+$51,158

Though modest, this increase reflects rising costs in operations, legal, compliance, and possibly new staff or systems.

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💸 Contracted Instruction Eliminated

The most dramatic line item change?

Contracted Instructional Services (Function 91) is going from $313,269 to $0.

This likely means the district is bringing services in-house, opting out of prior agreements with outside providers—often a strategic move for cost control or autonomy.

🧾 In Summary

Total Budget	Year	Amount
Last Year	2024–2025	$9,991,914
This Year	2025–2026	$10,005,378
Difference		+$13,464

While this year’s overall growth is modest, the district is clearly prioritizing instruction, tech upgrades, and student services—even as it trims back on some extras and contracted partnerships.

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📢 Stay Informed
The proposed budget is public, and your input matters! Attend the next school board meeting or submit feedback to help shape how our funds are used.

🟨🖤 Brackett ISD: Building futures, one line item at a time.

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