Northside ISD proposes $40M in reductions, formalizes hiring review and class-size changes

Northside ISD administrators presented trustees with a set of proposed budget measures intended to reduce the district’s operating gap, including a targeted hiring review, 10% reductions at central-office departments and adjustments to classroom staffing ratios.

Meghan Bradley, deputy superintendent for business and finance, told the board the district expects to end the current fiscal year with a $96,000,000 deficit and is planning for approximately $64,000,000 in reductions next year, followed by an additional $52,000,000 of reductions to reach a balanced budget if state revenue falls short. Bradley said the district has already identified roughly $40,000,000 worth of reduction options and will meet with departments to seek deeper savings where feasible.

Administration described specific cost-control measures the board is considering: a targeted hiring review (a hiring freeze for non-critical central-office positions with exceptions for high-need roles such as special education and bus drivers), a requirement that central offices identify 10% budget reductions that together equal about $10,000,000, and changes to classroom staffing ratios. The proposed staffing adjustments provided to trustees convert several elementary and secondary ratios as follows: pre-K from 22:1 to 25:1; kindergarten–fourth from 23:1 to 25:1; fifth grade remaining at 26:1; middle school classes from 23:1 to 25.25:1; and high school averages rising from about 24.7:1 to 26.5:1. Administration said those ratios represent system-wide targets and that exceptions could be made for turnaround or school-improvement campuses.

Bradley and other administrators said the changes would focus on preserving classroom instruction and protecting jobs where possible. “No one will lose their job,” Bradley said, adding that some positions funded with expiring ESSER dollars will likely not continue. Administrators described an approach of reassigning or absorbing positions before pursuing reductions in force.

Trustees and staff also discussed non-expenditure responses to enrollment and revenue trends. The board asked staff to prepare a policy on open enrollment (allowing students who live outside Northside ISD boundaries to transfer in when capacity exists) and indicated April as a target month to bring a draft policy and related marketing materials for review. Marketing and recruitment plans are already in development, staff said, to highlight program capacity such as magnet offerings.

Other operational proposals discussed included trimming summer enrichment costs (administration said summer programming costs have been reduced by nearly half compared with the prior year), tightening controls on overtime and compensatory time, reducing contracted services, and conducting an efficiency audit to decide whether consolidation or campus reconfiguration would be cost-effective. Trustees were told the district’s unassigned fund balance is $270,000,000 and that the administration intends to maintain a three-month operating reserve for cash flow and bond-rating purposes.

Finally, staff briefed trustees on potential local revenue options: a voter-approval tax-rate election (sometimes referred to in discussion as a VADER election) and a possible 2026 bond. Staff said the district could consider up to 12 cents of additional tax authority, of which three “golden pennies” are not subject to state recapture; each penny is estimated to yield roughly $15–16 million depending on valuation. Administration also warned that state-level proposals could change the rules for bond and tax-rate elections (there was discussion that some proposals would require a two-thirds affirmative vote for passage).

Administration indicated it will return with granular lists of ESSER-funded positions proposed for removal, detailed staffing-impact analyses by campus, and updated budget runs tied to state-legislative outcomes. Trustees directed staff to prioritize preservation of direct classroom services while seeking additional efficiencies.

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