Dr. Jeremy Thompson, deputy superintendent of Denton ISD, and Darren Robinson, the district’s general counsel, presented the district’s legislative priorities and a detailed explanation of how Texas school finance pressures are affecting local operations at a joint meeting on April 1.

Thompson said the district’s primary concern is the size of the state’s basic allotment, which he described as the base funding amount per student that has not been adjusted for inflation since 2019. "The size of our bucket only grows if we have more students, or if we have more weighted students," he said, explaining that local property tax collections do not increase the amount of money the state’s formula provides per student.

The presenters laid out enrollment and funding figures: Denton ISD has about 33,400 students enrolled, average daily attendance (ADA) near 94.5 percent — translating to roughly 31,000 in ADA — and a weighted ADA figure the district cites around 41,000–42,000 because state weights increase funding for certain student groups. Thompson said the district’s operational funding is driven by that weighted ADA and the basic allotment, which the presenters said remains $6,160 per student under state law and has not been raised to match inflation since 2019.

District officials listed specific shortfalls and recent cost pressures: reductions in federal/state reimbursement for school health services produced a stated $6.5 million impact, a transportation funding gap of about $7.5 million, roughly $4.5 million in unfunded safety and security mandates from 2023 legislation, rising utilities costs and higher property‑casualty insurance premiums. Thompson and Robinson also said a board decision to provide staff raises after a prior legislative session cost the district about $10 million annually, adding to ongoing budget strain.

The trustees’ presentation argued that much of the funding problem stems from Texas’ use of attendance, rather than enrollment, to calculate state funding; Thompson noted the state budgets for 100 percent attendance while districts are funded only on the students actually attending each day. The district urged state lawmakers to increase the basic allotment and consider changes including intensity‑based funding for special education.

When asked about prospects for relief, the presenters said proposals in the current legislative session include increases in the basic allotment. "The bills I’ve seen so far are talking about increasing the basic allotment to $6,500," said one presenter paraphrasing committee activity, and they noted broader proposals in committee substitutes ranging between roughly $220 and $355 increases per student in different drafts. District leaders cautioned that targeted state grants for specific programs (for example, a teacher‑only raise) can leave other parts of the budget squeezed.

District staff discussed local options to raise revenue, including a possible voter approval tax ratification election (TRE) to seek additional maintenance and operations pennies. The presentation described "golden pennies" (enrichment pennies with higher yields and not subject to state recapture) and "copper pennies" (subject to recapture) as part of the statutory mechanism that could generate local revenue; officials said two remaining golden pennies could yield approximately $5–6 million and that the first copper penny could add around $6 million before recapture, but they emphasized no TRE decision had been made and that community input would be needed.

Board members and district representatives asked detailed questions about class sizes, routes and school construction plans along the U.S. 380 corridor. Officials said the district is planning class size ratios for next year assuming current law and that growth drives the need for new schools; the district is continuing projects authorized in prior bonds, including a fifth high school in the 380 corridor area.

Thompson and Robinson emphasized the district's approach: pursue state funding increases first, retain local fiscal prudence and only consider local tax measures if necessary. They also pointed trustees and city leaders to detailed materials from the district’s "19‑25" budget committee and the Fund Schools First advocacy materials for statewide proposals. "Fund schools first," they said, should be the guiding principle for legislative relief that allows districts to meet statutory mandates without cutting classroom programs.