Superintendent Dempsey said Monday evening that Gadsden Independent Schools faces a budget challenge linked to falling student enrollment and uncertain state funding, and recommended the district consider consolidating Berino Elementary as one step to avoid layoffs.

Dempsey told parents and staff, “We’re here tonight to have a conversation about the financial health of Gadsden ISD. The good news is, right now, we’re in a really good place,” and added he is “looking down the road” and sees “trouble” if the district does not act to reduce personnel costs.

The nut graf: Dempsey presented enrollment figures showing a drop from about 13,120 students in 2018 to roughly 11,351 today and said unit-value increases from the state have offset some losses in recent years but may not continue. He urged the community to consider consolidation and other measures — including a voluntary retirement incentive and reassigning programs and staff — to avoid an abrupt reduction in force (RIF) later.

At the meeting, Dempsey reviewed campus-by-campus enrollment and capacity and said Berino has the lowest enrollment in its feeder cluster at about 306 students. He described a multi-step planning process: (1) present recommendations and collect community and staff input, (2) if approved, redraw attendance zones and (3) plan transportation and staffing adjustments. He said staffing accounts for roughly 90% of operational dollars and estimated the fully loaded cost of a teacher position at about $100,000.

Dempsey outlined possible savings and options already discussed with the board: a voluntary retirement incentive the district estimates could yield about $6 million; consolidation of Berino that he estimated could save up to $2 million; earlier consolidations that produced some savings; and a proposed shift of Alta Vista Early College into the Berino facility to provide a brick-and-mortar site for that program. He said transportation is a major cost (the district’s contractor runs about a $6 million contract, with the state covering roughly 90 percent) but that transportation expenses do not grow as fast as personnel costs.

Residents and staff raised concerns about reassigning students, preserving dual-language classrooms, the effect on grandparents who provide childcare and transportation, classroom sizes and building usage. Rafael Lopez, a local resident, asked why Berino was being targeted and said, “This is one of the better schools in the district,” citing personal experience with the school’s special education program. Parents asked whether consolidation would increase class sizes and how the district would ensure campus safety; Dempsey said teachers would move with students and that the district has increased campus security staff in recent years but continues to seek armed SRO coverage in some jurisdictions.

Dempsey said the district will prioritize transportation for families who want to remain in dual-language programs and described past practice in Sunland Park where families seeking to remain in dual language were given priority placement at the nearby dual-language campus. He also said in-district transfers remain an option but that the family must provide any transportation that does not fall under statutory eligibility.

No formal action or vote on consolidation occurred at the meeting. Dempsey said he will present the recommendation to the board; the school board has final authority and public hearings or board meetings will be scheduled for further input. He encouraged parents to attend upcoming board meetings and complete a district survey the district will post online; he said results from staff and parent surveys will be shared with the Board of Education.

Ending: Dempsey emphasized the proposal is a recommendation to the governing board and framed it as an attempt to avoid abrupt staff layoffs later: “I see a problem, and I don’t think I would be ethically doing my job if I didn’t say I see a problem. Be careful,” he said. The district will follow up with additional community meetings and publish the staff and parent survey results online before board consideration.