Dallas ISD Has a $104 Million Deficit. What Does That Mean for Seagoville?
The district’s newly approved $1.8 billion budget includes a $73 million payment back to the state and raises for teachers. Here is what Seagoville families should know.
Dallas ISD trustees approved a new $1.8 billion operating budget this year. The plan includes a projected $104 million deficit. It also raises pay for teachers and other staff.
The budget has drawn attention across the district. Many Seagoville families want to know if local campuses will feel the impact. Here is what the numbers actually show.
Dallas ISD points to a few main causes. Recapture payments to the state are rising each year. State funding has also failed to keep pace with rising costs.
Student enrollment is declining as well. Trustee Dan Micciche said the drop reflects a national trend tied to falling birth rates. He said families are not abandoning public schools.
| School Year | Recapture Payment to the State |
|---|---|
| Current Year | $60 Million |
| New School Year | $73 Million |
Most of the district’s money is spent directly on people. Here is how Dallas ISD breaks down each dollar it spends.
| Category | Share of Each Dollar |
|---|---|
| Payroll | 80¢ |
| Contracted Services | 12¢ |
| Supplies and Materials | 6¢ |
| Other Costs | 2¢ |
Even with the deficit, the budget raises pay in several places. The new minimum wage for district employees is $17.50 an hour. Certified teachers now start at $68,000 a year.
Support staff and professional staff outside special pay programs also get a raise. That raise equals 2 percent of their pay scale midpoint. In total, the new compensation package costs $56.4 million.
More than 250 central office positions have been eliminated over the past three years. Dallas ISD leaders say they continue looking for savings outside the classroom. Contracts and other operating expenses have also been trimmed.
Dallas ISD voters also approved a bond package this year. Bond dollars are legally separate from the operating budget. They can only pay for construction and renovation, not salaries or daily bills.
Shop in Seagoville reviewed Dallas ISD’s published budget materials for this report. Those materials do not break down cuts by individual campus.
As of publication, there is no public record of lost positions, programs or discretionary funds at any of Seagoville’s four Dallas ISD campuses.
- 🏫 Seagoville Elementary School
- 🏫 Seagoville North Elementary School
- 🏫 Seagoville Middle School
- 🐉 Seagoville High School
Instead, Dallas ISD sets each campus budget through a formula. That formula is based on enrollment and student need. It is not one cut applied evenly across the district.
The district reviews projected enrollment every spring. It then checks actual attendance each fall in a process called fall leveling. Staffing can shift up or down once real numbers come in.
Families who want to track their campus closely should watch fall enrollment counts. They can also attend Dallas ISD board meetings, which are open to the public.
Dallas ISD’s stated goal is a balanced budget within the next few years. District leaders are targeting 2029 for that milestone. Until then, expect more tradeoffs between raises and rising costs.
