Clint ISD maintains strongest reserves among El Paso school districts

Clint Independent School District will maintain one of the highest fund balances among El Paso school districts after its board unanimously approved a balanced budget and tax rate on Aug. 25, according to El Paso Matters.

The board voted to set the tax rate at $1.09 per $100 of property valuation, raising the district's portion of property tax bills by about $20 for an average-value home of $212,400. About 4,600 homeowners in Clint—roughly 40 percent of all properties with homestead exemption—will pay no school tax this year because their homes' taxable value falls below property tax exemptions.

The district adopted a nearly $127 million budget for the fiscal year starting Sept. 1 and approved spending an additional $4.6 million from its almost $73 million fund balance on previously approved expenses. That includes $1.8 million toward a COVID-19 spend-down plan to gradually reduce expenses once covered by relief funds, and $2.8 million for bathroom renovations at Horizon High School's baseball stadium and other construction.

The district's overall fund balance holds about $20 million in restricted and assigned funds earmarked for specific projects, plus $52.7 million in unrestricted savings—enough to operate for 140 days without additional revenue. That nearly doubles the state's recommendation for high financial ratings and far exceeds some of El Paso's largest districts, which have reserves below 40 days, according to El Paso Matters.

Clint ISD Superintendent Juan Martinez attributed the strong reserves to conservative budgeting, using pandemic-era relief funds for operations, and redirecting other revenues to savings. "Our financial stability depends on that fund balance," Martinez said, according to El Paso Matters. "In the event of an emergency, we will have the funds to take care of our staff."

The Texas Education Agency recommends two to three months of unrestricted savings and requires at least 75 days for districts to receive an A financial rating. Clint ISD built reserves despite a 13 percent enrollment decline from the 2019-2020 school year to about 9,900 students by 2025-26, achieved by cutting payroll through eliminating vacant positions and reassigning staff. Martinez cautioned that further cuts risk overworking remaining staff while balancing adequate instruction with limited resources.