During the January Board Meeting, RISD Trustees reviewed information about the budget process for 2026-27, student attendance and a recent safety and security assessment.
See the highlights and presentations for these topics:
Student Attendance Update:
- RISD’s Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for the fall semester fell 1.04% below the district’s 96% goal.
- Recognizing the chronic absenteeism stats throughout the state of Texas, RISD is committed to changing outcomes for our students by implementing strategies that help get students in class every day
- To meet district goals and improve student outcomes, district leaders will strengthen ADA strategies this spring:
- Continuing to partner with families, who play a vital role in ensuring students attend school consistently.
- Creating an incentive program centered around attendance improvement
- Reinforcing attendance reporting
- Focusing on connection to identify reasons for chronic absenteeism
- Providing a tiered support to formalize attendance interventions
2026-27 Budget Discussion:
- The budget process for the 2026-2027 school year is officially underway. Here in RISD, our fiscal year starts July 1, so the next few months are critical for planning.
- Our goal is to support our students and staff through sound financial management.
- Because state funding is based on attendance—and our enrollment is currently declining—we are preparing for additional budget reductions. These steps are necessary to close our deficit and, importantly, to help us provide future raises for our hardworking staff.
We’ll be sharing more details and discussing these reductions during our board meetings this spring.
Review of District Vulnerability Assessment Update:
- Every four years, TEA visits selected districts to review campus access, emergency plans, and safety practices using a standardized process.
- After on-site observations and staff interviews, districts receive clear recommendations for improvement, with all findings tracked in the Sentinel system to support accountability and safer schools.
Special message to our trustees as part of Board Recognition Month: We honor and thank all our Trustees for serving the RISD community.
