Grand Prairie ISD families expect us to be responsible with every dollar entrusted to our schools. They also expect us to make sure students have the teachers, principals, counselors, nurses and resources they need to succeed.
As Board president, I believe we can and must do both.
On Tuesday, the Grand Prairie ISD Board of Trustees will consider a 2026-27 budget and tax rate built around that responsibility. The proposed total tax rate is $1.003119 per $100 of taxable value, down from $1.062687 last year. That continues a significant decline from a total rate of $1.595 in 2018.
That lower rate includes 3.17 cents in disaster-related tax effort connected to expenses resulting from the severe weather disaster that struck our community in March 2025. State law allows the district to use that additional tax effort to address increased disaster-related expenditures without requiring a voter-approval election.
Even with those disaster pennies included, our proposed overall tax rate is lower than last year’s.
Facing a Difficult Budget Head-On
There is no reason to pretend this is an easy budget year, but it is important to distinguish between a budget challenge and the district’s overall financial health.
GPISD does not have a financial-management problem. Our district earned a perfect score of 100 under the state’s School FIRST financial accountability system. What we do have is a budget challenge, and we are working aggressively to address it.
GPISD continues to face declining enrollment and the financial consequences that come with it. The district’s average daily attendance is projected to decline from 22,646 to 22,390. At the same time, certified property values increased from approximately $13.3 billion to $15 billion. Under Texas’ school finance system, those higher property values mean GPISD is projected to receive about $6 million less in state funding, even as local maintenance and operations collections increase by about $3.5 million.
Those numbers matter because rising property values do not automatically translate into an equivalent windfall for our schools.
The district began this process facing a projected deficit of approximately $36 million. Through difficult budget decisions and reductions, we have brought the proposed General Fund deficit down to approximately $18.3 million. The proposed budget includes $288.6 million in General Fund revenue, plus approximately $2.2 million in other sources, against $309.1 million in expenditures.
An $18.3 million deficit is not something to celebrate. Reducing the projected gap by nearly half while protecting the educational mission of GPISD is meaningful progress and demonstrates the work already underway to bring our budget back into balance.
There is still work ahead, and we intend to keep doing it.
A Lower Rate Doesn’t Always Mean a Lower Bill
Taxpayers also deserve clarity about what the proposed tax rate does and does not mean.
The district can lower its tax rate while some property owners still see higher tax bills because taxable property values have increased. GPISD’s total taxable value increased approximately 12%, from $13.39 billion to $15.04 billion. Residential taxable value increased about 4%, commercial value increased about 14% and business personal property increased about 22%.
Those rising values are part of the reason the district can collect more local revenue despite adopting a lower rate.
I understand why families look at their tax bill and ask why taxes can increase when a school district says it lowered the rate. Both things can be true.
The GPISD Board sets the district’s tax rate. We do not determine the value of your property. Property appraisals are determined by the Dallas Central Appraisal District, and the appraisal protest and appeal process takes place through DCAD, not GPISD.
Our responsibility is to set the most responsible tax rate possible while ensuring Grand Prairie students continue receiving the education our community expects.
Protecting the People Who Serve Students
Whenever school budgets become tight, it is easy to reduce the conversation to a single word: administration.
But a school district cannot operate without leadership and student support.
Every campus needs a principal. Students need counselors. Schools need nurses. Teachers need instructional support. Families expect safe campuses, reliable transportation and functioning facilities.
The proposed General Fund budget includes approximately $186.9 million for instruction, compared with about $7.6 million for general administration. It also provides approximately $19.6 million for school leadership, $12.4 million for guidance and counseling, $3.7 million for health services and $5.8 million for security.
We should always examine administrative costs, and no area of the budget should be immune from scrutiny. Responsible budgeting, however, requires more than finding a line item and declaring it unnecessary. We have to understand what those dollars actually provide for students and campuses.
Our goal is not simply to cut. Our goal is to make responsible reductions while protecting the people and services that directly support students.
Keeping Our Focus on Students
Texas school districts continue to operate within a funding system heavily influenced by attendance, property values and formulas established by the state. Until those structural challenges change, districts across Texas will continue making difficult decisions as enrollment patterns shift and costs rise.
Our job in Grand Prairie is to manage the circumstances in front of us responsibly.
That means making cuts when cuts are necessary. It means being transparent when we adopt a deficit budget. It means lowering the tax rate when we can. It means explaining honestly why a lower rate does not guarantee every homeowner a lower bill.
It also means recognizing the difference between financial stewardship and the budget pressures created by changing enrollment, property values and state funding formulas. Our perfect School FIRST score demonstrates that GPISD takes its responsibility for financial management seriously.
Most importantly, it means remembering that a school district budget is ultimately about students.
I am proud of the progress our administration and Board have made in reducing what began as an approximately $36 million projected deficit to less than $20 million while proposing a lower overall tax rate and continuing to protect the people and programs our students rely on.
We are not finished. We will continue looking for efficiencies, monitoring enrollment and making responsible decisions with taxpayer dollars.
Grand Prairie ISD has challenges ahead, but we are meeting them directly, responsibly and with our focus where it belongs: on our students, our educators and the future of Grand Prairie.
Emily Liles
President, Grand Prairie ISD Board of Trustees