Bryan ISD’s voluntary efficiency audit revealed the district is bringing in less revenue per student than comparable school districts while spending more. Trustees received a presentation of the district’s audit Oct. 19, reviewing financial, staffing and academic data as the district prepares for its Nov. 3 voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE.

The highlights:

• Bryan ISD reported $12,577 in revenue per student, compared with a peer average of $13,024.

• Per-student expenditures totaled $13,700, compared with a peer average of $13,132.

• The district's average teacher salary was just under $60,000, while the peer average was approximately $65,000.

• Teacher turnover was 16.9%, which was a main reason for calling the VATRE.

• The district's employee health insurance program has a deficit of roughly $5 million.

• Enrollment declined from 16,035 students in 2021-22 to 15,699 in 2025-26.

On the ballot: Bryan ISD is seeking voter approval to increase its maintenance and operations tax rate by two pennies. Early voting is underway now through Oct. 30.

College Station ISD officials will consider the implementation of a pilot program that would allow central office staff members to serve as substitute teachers on district campuses.

The details: The idea was initially raised during the board’s Sept. 15 workshop, where officials said the move could serve as a cost-saving measure by allowing salaried administrators to serve as substitute teachers.

While specific details of the plan have not yet been drafted, Superintendent Tim Harkrider said his team could put a framework together by the board’s December workshop.

A closer look: During the board’s Sept. 15 workshop, officials said the plan was inspired by a similar plan recently proposed by El Paso ISD that could save the district up to $255,000 per year by allowing administrators to sometimes serve as substitutes.

What’s next: Since the plan would fall under the purview of the district’s day-to-day operations, Harkrider agreed it would not require board approval to implement.

The College Station Police Department is seeking volunteers to let the department use their properties for controlled SWAT training exercises. According to an Oct. 20 social media post, these training sessions will not feature live ammunition.

Learn more: CSPD officials are specifically hoping to find properties that feature:

• Interior layouts with close quarters

• Multiple rooms, structures or building levels

• Vacant or under construction status

• Off-hours commercial and residential properties

• Dense or complex terrain such as industrial yards

• Wooded areas, creeks or other natural obstacles

Get involved: Locals interested in volunteering their properties can contact CSPD Sgt. B. Keough by emailing [email protected] or calling 979-764-3600.

In July, Texas' top elected officials directed most state agencies, appellate courts and public universities to cut spending by 3% in their base budget requests for the next two years.

The overview: Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows said those reductions will help Texas hold a "strong fiscal position" by expanding property tax relief and maintaining public education funding when the legislature returns to Austin next year.

The issue: Dozens of agency leaders have warned that the cuts, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, are not sustainable. They would cause Texas residents to lose "essential" services and lead to losses in state revenue, leaders said at the capitol and in budget documents.

Government institutions protesting the budget reductions include the comptroller's office, the attorney general, Texas' Cancer Prevention and Research Institute, state criminal justice agencies and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.