Superintendent Dempsey told the Gadsden Independent School District board Tuesday that the district has been seeing steady enrollment declines and presented a rightsizing plan intended to protect staff and programs while reducing costs. "The why is our our declining enrollment," he said, and added the district has been shrinking gradually for more than a decade. Dempsey laid out a mix of strategies including employee transfers, a voluntary retirement incentive, formalizing a consolidation already underway at Loma Linda Elementary, consideration of consolidating Benigno (Berino) Elementary, possible transfer or repurposing of Southern Park Elementary, demolition or sale options for Mesquite Elementary, and a potential move of the Anthony pre-K center.

The superintendent described staff moves that are already under way as a mix of voluntary and involuntary transfers and said they rely on the district's collective-bargaining rules: when transfers are involuntary, "the lowest, seniority individual will be moving from 1 campus to another 1." He estimated that absorbing existing employees into open positions could save about $2,000,000 in salary costs. He proposed a voluntary retirement incentive that would require employees to file notification early so the district can plan; Dempsey said the incentive would be $8,000 per eligible retiree and that offering it now could help realize larger savings in next year's budget, estimating potential budget-year savings of "6 to 8,000" (thousand) dollars overall.

Dempsey estimated about $2 million in potential savings from a Benigno (Berino) consolidation and noted that moving students would rely on campus capacity data the district prepared: many campuses have available space, he said, and the district would avoid overwhelming receiving campuses. On Mesquite Elementary he said the district currently uses the building for storage and spends money maintaining the grounds to avoid blight; facility staff reported there are foundation/wall issues and a collapsed sewer pipe but no active sewage leak because sewer flow is not occurring. The superintendent said an interested state agency has contacted the district about Mesquite and that any real estate action requires board approval.

Board members asked for clearer community outreach and more transparent numbers before formal actions. Board Secretary Claudia Rodriguez said the presentation "puts it in perspective" and urged that the community be better informed so residents understand why proposals are being considered. Board member Laura Salazar Flores pressed for specifics on Mesquite's upkeep costs and whether interested parties sought the land alone or the building and land; district staff said grounds and periodic building checks are maintained and that a recent appraised value had been shared with the board. Board member Priscilla Guerrero raised concerns about involuntary transfers affecting special education students who rely on routine and continuity; district staff acknowledged that special education transfers are difficult and said the HR team tries to minimize disruption and prefers hiring into vacancies when possible.

Dempsey proposed beginning community meetings about these proposals soon and asked the board whether he should proceed; multiple board members supported starting community outreach quickly. He provided a tentative timeline: employee transfers already under way, launch of the retirement incentive within about a month to produce a master list by December, possible formalization of the Loma Linda consolidation within the semester, and other property/relocation items potentially moving within a year depending on details and community input.

No binding consolidations or property transfers were adopted at Tuesday's meeting; Dempsey asked for direction to proceed with community meetings and additional analysis and the board did not vote to finalize any of the rightsizing proposals that evening.