A financial crisis is looming over many Texas school districts, and without immediate action, the consequences could be devastating. Many are on a collision course with fiscal insolvency.

There has been a great deal of debate about state funding and decreasing enrollments. These are things schools have no control over. But a core issue that is almost never discussed? The well-meaning trustees elected to set these multi-million-dollar budgets are often ill-equipped and lack the needed training to prevent the financial collapse of their districts.

These staggering figures are a mere sampling of what is happening across the state:

Houston ISD: $211 million deficit.

Dallas ISD: $187 million.

Fort Worth ISD: $17 million

El Paso ISD: $12 million.^[1]

After nearly 30 years in public education, I count a host of trustees as my personal friends. Generally speaking, trustees are honest, good-hearted members of their communities who just want to help improve education for the children in their districts. They are not, however,  necessarily accountants or school finance experts by trade.

These trustees—elected to protect the interests of students, families, teachers, and taxpayers—are often unaware of the financial red flags buried in the spreadsheets presented to them. Without the right questions to ask or the proper training, many trustees simply rubber-stamp the numbers under the impression that the math checks out. The result? School boards are unknowingly driving their districts toward insolvency.

The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the typical provider of trustee training, is failing to address this critical knowledge gap. It leaves trustees unprepared to tackle the complexities of school finance.

To address the fiscal disaster districts are facing, TASB’s only plan appears to be to blame the state and federal government and demand more money from above. But the blame game does not help a single district deal with the immediate reality on the ground. TASB completely fails to equip trustees to take charge of their district’s finances.

This is where Texans for Excellence in Education (TEE) steps in. Our program, School Finance Connect, offers the in-depth financial training that trustees desperately need but are not receiving from TASB. We don’t just provide an overview of budgeting—we equip trustees with the tools to ask tough questions, forecast fiscal challenges, and recognize potential threats to their district’s financial stability before it’s too late.

So how are trustees being misinformed? Here are some examples.

Whether it’s insurance or energy, trustees often do not understand they have cost-saving options outside of TASB’s offerings. They need to be trained on how to find the best rates, no matter the provider.