Alief ISD board approves 2025–26 staffing plan; no net new positions but $1.1M added cost

Alief ISD trustees voted to approve the district’s staffing plan for 2025–26, a plan administrators said adds no new positions overall but will increase payroll costs by about $1.1 million largely because several paraprofessional roles are being reclassified as professional positions.

The plan passed on a motion by Trustee Williams, seconded by Trustee Patrick; the board recorded a 7–4–0 vote in favor. Trustee Chuang voted with the majority after a counted hand vote was read aloud.

Why it matters: Administrators said the changes align staffing to student needs and to programmatic priorities — including additional instructional specialists at middle and high schools, fine‑arts elective positions and expanded English‑learner support — while avoiding layoffs tied to enrollment declines.

Key details in the plan include a reduction of the intermediate staffing ratio from 26:1 to 25:1; additions of three fine‑arts elective teachers at elementary campuses (Reese and Miller) and two STEM teachers at one campus; and five middle‑school and five high‑school ESL specialists to support emergent bilingual students. Special‑education staffing and early‑childhood support were also adjusted.

“We are projecting for 25‑26 that it will stay level with what we currently are for 24‑25,” Doctor Littlefield said while presenting the plan, adding that cost increases come from reclassifying roles rather than from hiring new staff.

The board discussion included questions about program monitoring and the district’s practice of maintaining support positions rather than cutting to match enrollment immediately. Administrators reiterated that the district will preserve support where possible and adjust only as necessary.

Ending: After the vote, the board moved on to consider the companion compensation plan, which trustees also approved later in the meeting.