Each year, the District Education Improvement Committee (DEIC) works with administration to develop an academic calendar to recommend to the Board of Trustees for approval. The process begins in October/November when draft calendars are shared at the DEIC meeting. Given the amount of community feedback used in generating the 2025-2026 school calendar, care was taken to align the 2026-2027 school calendar with the 2025-2026 school calendar.

Additional Considerations:

• Provide time for teachers to complete the two in person parent-teacher meetings required by Senate Bill 12.
• Reduce the amount of class time missed for teachers completing the mandatory 10 day Reading or Math Academies.
• Reduce or eliminate the reliance on Off-Contract Time (OCT) for teachers to be in compliance with their state required 187 day contract.
• End the school year for all students before graduation.

The Board must approve a calendar that provides for at least 75,600 minutes of instruction and includes an allowance for bad weather make up days through the use of scheduled days on the calendar and/or excess instructional minutes. Additionally, the district has a waiver that allows four professional learning days to be counted in the accrual of the required number of instructional minutes.

The process for creating next year’s school calendar begins on November 3, when draft calendars are shared with the DEIC. From November 4 through December 1, DEIC members will collect feedback from their campuses and communities about the draft calendars. On November 10, a report about the calendar process will be shared with the School Board, and after that meeting, the draft calendars will be posted for the public to review and share comments. By December 1, DEIC members will make their final recommendations to the district administration. Then, on December 8, those recommendations will be presented to the School Board. Finally, on January 12, the Board will vote on the official school calendar for next year.

The 2026–2027 budget will support NBISD’s mission and strategic plan while using money wisely to get the most benefit from available resources.

NBISD’s budget will be managed carefully to make sure the district uses its resources efficiently. This includes finding ways to bring in more money or spend less to keep the budget balanced. The budget will be based on realistic student attendance numbers that consider past enrollment trends, attendance improvements, and input from campus principals. The district will also keep enough money in its General Fund reserves to cover three months of expenses and will not use those reserves to balance the budget.

The main priorities for the budget are to keep it balanced, fund programs that help students succeed, and make sure all employees receive fair pay and benefits. The district will continue to invest in school safety, encourage strong student attendance to increase state funding, and provide enough staff for the new Legend Point Elementary, the new Lamar Elementary, and the addition of 11th grade at Long Creek High School. NBISD will also look for ways to cut unnecessary costs and make sure money is not wasted in supplier contracts.

However, there are some risks that could affect the budget. These include new requirements that are not funded by the state, lower-than-expected student enrollment or attendance, rising prices for fuel, insurance, and other supplies, and challenges in keeping some current programs going in the future.

As part of the 2024 Bond Program, taxpayers approved funding for the purchase of new school buses. The administration is now ready to move forward with the second round of bus purchases using these bond funds. This purchase will be made through the BuyBoard purchasing cooperative. To determine what types of buses are needed, the transportation department evaluated the district’s current fleet and future needs.

NBISD’s fleet includes 77-passenger buses, which are the traditional long buses used for General Education routes, and 54-passenger buses, which are used for Special Needs routes. The special needs buses include a wheelchair lift and secure tracks for up to three wheelchairs. To maintain fleet consistency and support efficient maintenance, the district recommends purchasing five new buses: two 77-passenger Longhorn Bus Sales C3411 CE school buses at $157,852 each, for a total of $315,704, and three 54-passenger Longhorn Bus Sales C2608 CE school buses at $155,889 each, for a total of $467,667.

NBISD manages approximately two million square feet of building space and 170 acres of property. As the district prepares for future growth and facility improvements, there is a need for a detailed and thorough assessment of the current condition of its buildings, systems, stadiums, and sites. To address this, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued on October 6, 2025, for professional services to conduct these assessments, and proposals were received on October 24, 2025. The submissions are now being evaluated.

The assessment will cover a wide range of areas, including the building envelope, interior finishes, elevators, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems (MEP), fire protection, site improvements, ADA accessibility, and safety and security features such as cameras, access controls, and fencing. It will also include a review of the Unicorn Stadium bleacher system, field lighting, IT systems, and building automation systems.

Because these are professional services, the contract cannot be awarded based on cost alone; it must be awarded based on qualifications. The evaluation will consider experience and qualifications, team qualifications, methodology, deliverables, and schedule. The anticipated cost for these services will not exceed $350,000, based on the scope of the assessment. The administration will prepare a budget amendment to fund this project through the district’s Capital and Contingency Fund.

The Board of Trustees approved to continue an interlocal agreement between NBISD and the City of New Braunfels.

New Braunfels ISD has worked diligently to partner with the New Braunfels Police Department and other local agencies to provide armed security, as mandated by House Bill 3, to NBISD campuses. NBPD has assigned 12 School Resource Officers to NBISD campuses for the 2025-2026 school year.

Trustees also approved the purchase of band instruments with bond funds from the 2024 Bond Program.

During the design process of Bond 2024, the Bond Committee recommended that a portion of funds be dedicated to replacing band instruments throughout the district. The Fine Arts department has worked with the business office to develop a 5-year plan of replacing the instruments from the allocated funds part of Bond 2024.

The fine arts department has worked with the purchasing department to receive instrument bids. Based on proposals received, the awarded vendors will be West Music, High School Music Service and Music & Arts. Total cost for Year 2 instrument purchases came under budget with a savings of $44,593.06.