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Lamar CISD officials project balanced budget for 2026-27 school year

Lamar CISD officials are expecting to have a balanced budget for the 2026-27 school year, Chief Financial Officer Greg Buchanan said at an April 21 board of trustees meeting.

Zooming in: For the 2026-27 budget outlook, the board finance committee decided to proceed with a 3% property growth and low enrollment projection option that accommodates 50,307 students with an expected $562.7 million in revenue.

The committee also proposed giving teachers a 3% raise—or $2,200—as well as increasing starting teacher salaries to $68,900. Buchanan said the 3% option will require $11.6 million in funding and is consistent with what has been given in the past.

Next steps: Trustees will set the proposed 2026-27 tax rate as well as determine when the budget and tax rate public meeting will take place at an upcoming May 19 meeting, officials said. The budget is scheduled to be adopted in June, and the tax rate will be finalized in August.

 
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On The Business Beat
Forest Park Southwest Funeral Home & Cemetery offers full-service memorial options

Forest Park Southwest Funeral Home & Cemetery is now serving Fort Bend County as one of the area's only full-service memorial campuses, officials announced in an April 22 news release.

What they offer: The funeral home offers both traditional and contemporary celebrations of life in its new 9,000-square-foot space featuring a lobby with a fireplace and reception area, a chapel for up to 190 guests, an event or visitation room and a covered outdoor patio.

The 100-acre property is also home to an event center for community meetings and events, as well as burial options, per the release.

  • 9040 FM 359, Richmond
 
In Your Backyard
Neighborhood Fishin' program bringing catfish, rainbow trout to local lakes

Catfish and rainbow trout are now making their way to several community lakes in the Greater Houston area and across the state.

How it works: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is stocking 18 lakes in nine cities around Texas, including Austin, Houston and Bryan-College Station.

The Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes program is aimed at encouraging family fishing at 18 locations around the state that provide parking and are close to neighborhoods.

Quote of note: “Catfish are fun and easy to catch for anglers of all ages and experience levels. If you’ve never fished before, these are the perfect places to get started,” said Marcos DeJesus, East Texas regional director for TPWD’s Inland Fisheries Division, in a news release. “If you are an experienced angler, these are the perfect places to introduce fishing to a friend or family member.”

 

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Earth Day Family Day Market

Creativity Rocks - OZ!

April 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Spring

April 25, 6-9 p.m.
Humble

Learn more.

Learn more.

 

6th Annual Texas Mini Golf Championship

The Market at River Oaks District

April 26, 9 a.m.
Montgomery

April 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Houston

Learn more.

Learn more.

 
To submit your own event, click here.

CI Texas
ERCOT forecasts quadruple growth in electric demand, warns estimate is likely overinflated

Demand on the Texas power grid could more than quadruple in the next six years, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas announced April 15.

The details: The state grid operator projected that peak electric demand could hit 367,790 megawatts by 2032—more than four times the current demand record of 85,508 megawatts, which was set during an August 2023 heat wave. Much of this forecasted growth is due to data centers, according to ERCOT documents.

However, ERCOT leaders warned that the growth forecast is “preliminary” and needs adjustments.

What's happening: During an April 17 meeting, ERCOT officials told the Public Utility Commission of Texas that they plan to work with utility providers to issue a revised forecast in the coming weeks.

“I think it's clear we need to engage in the process and look at ways to refine this number to something that's more usable,” PUC Chair Thomas Gleeson said.

Stay tuned: ERCOT said it expects peak electric demand on the grid this summer will hit between 90,500-98,000 megawatts, which would shatter the current demand record.

 

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General Manager

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