About 40,000 Clear Creek ISD students walked into classrooms Wednesday, Aug. 12, facing a school year shaped by changes landing at once: a statewide phone ban taking effect for the first time, a new state math curriculum arriving in hundreds of Texas districts and a district budget gap that could put a tax rate election on the November ballot.
Students across CCISD campuses must now power off personal devices and stow them in backpacks for the entire school day under Texas House Bill 1481, which took effect this school year. The law applies to all grade levels. Violations carry progressive discipline, according to CCISD's cell phone policy page, though the district has not published its specific discipline schedule.
New state math curriculum goes live statewide
Across Texas, roughly 700 school districts are rolling out the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning math curriculum for the first time this fall. The free materials, created under House Bill 1605, cover kindergarten through high school math and come with a $60-per-student state incentive for adopting districts, according to the Houston Chronicle. The curriculum has drawn scrutiny after more than 4,200 errors were identified, prompting the Texas Education Agency to spend up to $8.4 million on corrections.
CCISD has not publicly confirmed whether it adopted Bluebonnet for 2026-27.
$19.7 million shortfall drives tax question
Behind the classroom changes sits a budget problem. CCISD projects a $19.7 million shortfall for fiscal year 2026-27, with $404.4 million in anticipated revenue against $424.2 million in expenses, according to Community Impact. The district has already cut 70 positions to align with enrollment that has dropped more than 6% since 2019-20.
To close the gap, the board is evaluating a voter-approval tax rate election for nine enrichment pennies that would generate roughly $20 million annually. Under state election law, the district would need to call the election by mid-August to place it on the November ballot. The July 27 board agenda included scheduling a public hearing on the 2026-27 budget and proposed tax rate, a required step before calling a VATRE. A 2023 VATRE passed and brought in $18 million per year; the projected 2026-27 tax rate of $0.963 per $100 valuation is already lower than the current adopted rate.
Board President Jonathan Cottrell voiced frustration with unfunded state mandates at a May 2026 board meeting, telling Community Impact: "[The state legislature] is telling us we have to do these things, but [they're] not giving us money to do so. That money has to come from somewhere."
What's next
The board meets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at the CCISD Education Support Center, 2425 E. Main St. in League City. The next regular meeting falls on Tuesday, Aug. 25, when trustees are expected to adopt the final budget and tax rate for the new school year.
