Lewisville ISD wants Texas lawmakers to address school funding, educator recruitment and campus safety during the legislative session that begins Jan. 12, 2027.
The Board of Trustees approved the district’s legislative priorities at its Oct. 13 meeting, according to LISD’s announcement. The district published the announcement Oct. 15.
The priorities cover four areas affecting campuses across the district, including Flower Mound and Marcus high schools.
On local decision-making, LISD supports an accountability system focused on helping schools improve. The district wants more stable performance benchmarks and broader measures for evaluating students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
To strengthen the educator workforce, LISD is seeking the elimination of testing and certification fees that teacher candidates pay themselves. It also wants relief from Teacher Retirement System surcharges associated with rehiring retired educators and updated statutory minimum salaries for teachers, nurses and counselors.
For campus safety, the district wants state funding to cover required armed personnel and physical security improvements. Its requests also include dedicated funding for computers and internet capacity needed for mandatory online assessments, along with scheduling flexibility and safety funding when schools serve as polling places.
On operational costs, LISD wants funding formulas to account for inflation, utilities and other fixed expenses. The district also seeks special education funding that reflects service and evaluation costs, plus transportation reimbursements aligned with actual expenses.
The 90th Texas Legislature convenes Jan. 12 and ends its regular session May 31. Lawmakers began prefiling bills Nov. 9. Regular sessions occur every two years, although the governor can call special sessions between them.
The priorities come as LISD manages a projected budget shortfall. In its Aug. 31 budget announcement, the district reported a $7.3 million deficit for fiscal year 2026–27. A staff raise equal to 3% of salary-range midpoints and increased health insurance contributions together added $9 million in costs.
The board adopted a tax rate of $1.0778 per $100 of assessed valuation. According to LISD, that is its lowest rate since at least 1999.
The same announcement reported a score of 100 on the state’s School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, known as FIRST. The Nov. 9 board agenda included a required public hearing on the 2025–26 rating, which uses financial data from the 2024–25 school year.
Residents can review the legislative priorities on LISD’s website or contact all seven trustees and Superintendent Lori Rapp at [email protected].
