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Midway ISD proposes 15.5 FTEs, $930,000 estimate to ease teacher workload; board debates funding options
Summary
District HR presented a request for 15.5 full-time-equivalent positions (estimated $930,000) aimed at reducing teacher caseloads and restoring PLC planning time; board members weighed state aid prospects and use of fund balance.
A district human-resources presenter asked the Midway ISD board on Tuesday to approve recruitment of 15.5 full-time-equivalent positions to address workload, student behavior and program growth across grade levels.
The presenter — identified in the meeting as district staff in human-resources — outlined a package that included seven secondary teachers to restore PLC planning time, a CTE health-science teacher, co-teaching special-education positions at the high school, two additional diagnosticians, an additional speech-language pathologist, a special-education counselor and a part-time staff mental-health clinician to be increased to a 20-hour weekly position if approved. The staff estimate for the package was about $930,000 for the next year.
“We have spent the last 18 months really assessing our current personnel structure,” the presenter said, describing work to reuse existing positions and to post vacancies earlier in the hiring cycle. Board members said they’d seen progress in hiring earlier in the season and praised an increase in newly hired teachers before spring break.
Board discussion focused on whether to fund the hires with reserves if the Legislature does not finalize additional aid. Superintendent Chris Allen and other administrators noted House and Senate budget proposals remain unresolved: the House has proposed increases to the basic allotment and significant special-education funding, while the Senate proposals differ.
Board members debated trade-offs between direct compensation increases and hiring additional staff to reduce workload and planning shortfalls. One trustee described the district’s options bluntly: use fund balance to hire now, or risk program cuts later if anticipated state aid does not materialize.
Administrators said the request would be brought back later on the agenda for board action and that job postings should begin quickly if the board approves to improve chances of filling the roles for the 2025–26 school year.
