A four-campus rural district funded mostly by the state, plus local property tax and bonds
Leonard ISD serves about 800 students in Leonard, Texas (Fannin County) at Leonard Elementary, Leonard Intermediate, Leonard Junior High and Leonard High School. About 73% of the 2026-27 general fund ($9.9 million of $13.6 million) comes from the state. Local property taxes pay the rest, and a separate debt tax repays construction bonds. Seven trustees, elected at large for staggered terms, adopt the budget and tax rate and hire the superintendent, Brad Maxwell.
$13.6M general fund
Adopted August 31, 2026, up from $13.3 million in 2025-26.
Tax rate $1.2252
Unchanged for 2026-27: $0.7552 for operations and $0.47 for bond debt (2024-25 split).
Bond construction
The district had $6.6 million in unspent bond money in August 2025 and about $2.4 million a year in bond payments.
$3.47M savings
General fund balance at the end of 2024-25, up from $3.16 million.
Board minutes are not posted online, so this page shows what the board planned to consider, not always what it decided.
Where the district stands
2026-27 general fund budgetverified
13,600,267 USD
Up from $13,320,823 in 2025-26.
State share of 2026-27 general fund revenuecontext
73 percent
$9,916,099 of $13,600,267, calculated from the adopted budget.
Est. school tax on median home, 2026-27verified
1,600 USD
Up from $1,453 in 2025-26 at the same rate.
General fund balance, Aug 31, 2025verified
3,469,403 USD
Unspent bond proceeds, Aug 31, 2025verified
6,632,594 USD
Major projects
Bond-funded construction
under way; payment dispute in legal review
The district has been spending bond money on construction: combined fund balances fell from $34.4 million to $11.8 million in 2024-25 as projects were paid for. In June 2026 the board took legal advice on a construction payment dispute, and in July the city asked about using the old elementary school.
Next: Outcome of the payment dispute and plans for the old elementary building are not posted.
$6.6M bond money unspent
Committed fund balance for construction adjusted
Construction payment dispute in closed session
City presentation on old elementary school
Funding
Voter-approved bonds (unspent balance as of August 31, 2025)
New K-12 math curriculum
adoption scheduled for 2026-27
The district reviewed eight state-approved math programs with parent input and put a K-12 math adoption on the April 2026 agenda.
Next: Which program was chosen is not shown in posted records.
Math adoption committee
Instructional materials certification
K-12 math adoption on agenda
Funding
State instructional materials allotment (certified March 2026)
Certifying all core-subject teachers
plan approved
A state-approved plan gives uncertified reading, math, science and social studies teachers until 2029-30 to get certified.
Next: Grow Your Own and residency placements in fall 2026.
Board approves plan
Goal: every uncertified teacher has a written plan
Full certification required
Funding
District funds, Grow Your Own and residency grants (applied for)
Local elections & school board members
Elections & votes
Board electionScheduled
Leonard ISD Board of Trustees election (May 1, 2027)
Leonard ISD
Leonard ISD trustees serve staggered terms and are elected at large on the May uniform election date. Three trustees' terms end in 2027: Tyler McCarley (president), Rachel Pannkuk and Shanna Lewis. The next election is expected May 1, 2027, with candidate filing normally running from mid-January to mid-February (78 days before the election). The district has not yet posted the 2027 election order or candidates.
Collected from the district's website (leonardisd.net): every board agenda posted from November 2025 through the November 4, 2026 special meeting, the 2025-26 and 2026-27 proposed and adopted budgets, tax-rate notices and the 2026-27 taxpayer impact statement, the 2024-25 annual financial report, the teacher certification plan and the math textbook review notice. Most agendas are scanned and were read with OCR.
Get alerts for Leonard Independent School District
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
