San Felipe Del Rio CISD board reviews health insurance, budget projections
Health insurance and projected revenue drove SFDR CISD’s budget workshop, where the board met on Griner Street as staffing and classroom spending were weighed for next year.
The size of next year’s teacher roster may depend on how San Felipe Del Rio CISD manages health insurance costs and projected revenue, two topics that sat at the center of the board’s latest budget workshop. For families, the math matters: benefit costs can shape teacher retention, staff stability and how many resources reach classrooms when school opens again.
The special called meeting began at 5:30 p.m. May 26 at the Student Performance Center and Administration Auditorium, 315 Griner St. in Del Rio. The public agenda was short and financially focused, with roll call, quorum, call to order and opening ceremonies followed by the budget workshop. No recognitions were scheduled.
Amy Childress led the workshop discussion on health insurance and projected revenue and expenses, the two core variables that determine whether the district can hold staffing steady while covering everyday operations. The district had already signaled how central benefits were to its planning. SFDR CISD says it offers fully insured health plan options effective Jan. 1, 2026, and its 2026 benefits guide sets the plan year from Jan. 1, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2026. The guide names Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas as the medical carrier and Rachel Garcia as employee benefits coordinator.
The workshop came after earlier budget sessions on May 14 that also included a Health Insurance Workshop, a Facilities and Operations Workshop, a 2026-2027 Sustainability Plan, proposed maintenance-and-operations-funded projects and proposed bond election projects for 2027. That sequence shows the district was already working through not just this year’s expenses, but also the longer runway of facilities, operations and capital needs.
Budget pressure is not just local. Gov. Greg Abbott signed roughly $8.5 billion in new public school funding in 2025, and Texas Education Agency guidance says House Bill 2 requires districts to amend budgets and salary schedules for the 2025-26 school year. The law also created the Teacher Retention Allotment and Support Staff Retention Allotment, putting compensation squarely in the middle of school finance decisions across Texas.
Health coverage remains a particularly sensitive piece of the equation. The Teacher Retirement System approved TRS-ActiveCare premium increases for 2026-27 with average hikes of less than 10%, while one-time state funding offsets about $52 per month. Even so, the system’s basic funding structure has not changed in more than 20 years, with the state still contributing $75 per member per month. For SFDR CISD, that means insurance, salaries and classroom funding remain locked together in the same budget conversation.
The board’s April 30 agenda showed the district was also considering a memorandum of understanding involving SFDR CISD, the City of Del Rio and Val Verde County tied to Lone Star Consulting, along with a purchase order over $25,000 for federal advocacy services. Together, the meetings point to a district still in active budget mode, with final decisions on benefits, revenue and spending likely to shape staffing and classroom support in the year ahead.
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