Alamo Heights ISD superintendent proposes $5 million in cuts, orders immediate tiered reductions

Superintendent Dr. David Becherra recommended a tiered set of budget reductions at the Alamo Heights ISD board meeting on Jan. 15, 2025, saying the district must identify about $5 million in operational savings to protect staff compensation and the district's fund balance.

Becherra opened the presentation by tracing the district's budget history since 2011 and noting the state basic allotment per pupil has not risen since 2019 despite inflation and higher operating costs. "I'm in a very different place now," Becherra said, describing the legislative outlook and urging the board to act this semester rather than wait on state funding.

The nut graph: District administrators and a budget advisory council produced 62 potential reductions and grouped them into three tiers. Becherra recommended implementing tier 1 items immediately, deciding on tier 2 by February, and deferring some tier 3 decisions until later in the spring, citing schedule and master-schedule constraints.

Board members were presented with the district's fund-balance trend, which administrators said has fallen steadily since the 2020-21 fiscal year. Staff said a $5 million reduction target would protect the district through the 2026-27 biennium while allowing limited compensation increases if feasible.

Tier 1: immediate operational and program changes

Becherra described tier 1 as changes district staff should begin implementing now. Examples he listed include eliminating or reducing certain technology and testing subscriptions, discontinuing the high-school block schedule ("no personalization next year"), combining the Excel Academy…