Tyler ISD OKs 2024-25 Budget with Raises, Lower Taxes

Tyler ISD Board Approves $209.6 Million Operating Budget for 2024-2025 School Year

The Tyler Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees approved a $209.6 million General Operating Fund Budget for the 2024-2025 school year during its regular meeting on June 17. The budget is designed to support the district’s approximately 17,295 students and operational needs for the upcoming academic year in Tyler, Texas.

A key component of the new budget includes salary increases for district employees. Teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, speech pathologists, diagnosticians, and assistant principals will receive a 2% salary increase. Tyler ISD Police officers are slated for a 3% raise, while most other professional, administrative, and hourly staff will see a 1% increase.

In positive news for local taxpayers, the district anticipates a decrease in the property tax rate, projected to fall below last year's rate of $1.1578 per $100 valuation. The final, specific tax rate will be officially adopted by the Board later this year, typically in August or September.

The budget approval comes amid several financial challenges. Flat state funding, with no new legislative allocations specifically for staff salaries, has made managing compensation increases more complex. Additionally, Tyler ISD, like many organizations, is grappling with rising operational costs, including health insurance premiums, utility bills, and expenditures for basic supplies and facility maintenance.

Despite these hurdles, the primary goals of the $209.6 million budget remain clear: to maintain competitive salaries to attract and retain high-quality talent, and to ensure that all Tyler ISD schools have the necessary resources to foster student academic success.

For more information about the district and its operations, residents can visit www.tylerisd.org.