Mercedes ISD trustees approve consolidation of campuses amid sustained enrollment decline

The Mercedes Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to approve a reorganization and consolidation of district campuses for the 2025–26 school year, citing a multi-year enrollment decline and sustained budget pressures.

District Director of Student Services Jean Jeannie Venezia said the district has seen enrollment fall from 4,941 in the 2019–20 school year to about 4,208 at the most recent snapshot. “Currently, we have 10 campuses. We have 3 high schools, 2 middle schools, 4 elementary, and of course, our Mercedes Early Literacy,” Venezia told trustees during the presentation.

The approved plan converts Sergeant William G. Harrell Middle School back to an elementary campus, consolidates sixth through eighth grades at Sergeant Manuel Chacon Middle School, and rezones attendance areas for John F. Kennedy and Taylor elementary schools so the district operates three elementary campuses instead of four. District staff said the consolidation will reduce the district’s campus count from 10 to 8.

Why it matters: district leaders said the changes respond to a long-term drop in student counts and rising operating costs. Venezia presented data showing a net decline of about 733 students since 2019 and noted state funding has not kept pace, increasing pressure on local budgets. Trustees and administrators framed the reorganization as a fiscal step intended to preserve classroom programs while reducing facility and staffing costs.

Administrators described next steps and a timeline. The district plans welcome and transition activities in May 2025, teacher professional development and team-planning in June, and summer “bridge” orientation sessions at the receiving campuses. Maintenance staff are auditing furniture and playground equipment and obtaining estimates to retrofit Harrell for elementary use. “Our CNI staff is currently taking inventory of the different needs for the campuses now that it’s possibly going to accommodate our elementary students,” said Maintenance Director Herrera.

Trustees discussed operational impacts raised in community meetings, including bus routes, building capacity and safety. Board members and staff said they are mapping new bus routes and that classroom sizes are expected to remain within district targets; district presenters said projected class sizes would be roughly 20 students per classroom in affected grade levels. Trustees also said the district will work on security camera wiring and additional safety measures where buildings are repurposed.

Public and staff concerns were raised at board and town-hall meetings, trustees said. Trustee Vallejo voted against the reorganization, saying she was not satisfied that the board had exhausted potential alternatives and asking for clearer, itemized savings figures. “I don’t believe we’ve exhausted all their potential cost saving avenues,” Trustee Vallejo said during debate. Other trustees acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but said multi-year enrollment decline and funding pressures made the measure necessary.

The board approved the reorganization by motion (mover: Trustee Hernandez; seconder: Trustee Rodriguez). The roll call following discussion recorded one no vote and six ayes; the motion passed. Administrators said the reorganization will be implemented for the 2025–26 school year and that staff will continue outreach to families and employees about rezoning, bus-route changes and program placement.

What remains unsettled: district staff will provide detailed room-by-room inventories, cost estimates for playground relocation and classroom retrofits, and finalized bus-route maps ahead of the start of the next school year. Trustees also said they will monitor enrollment and academic metrics as the consolidation is implemented and revisit plans if conditions change.

The board took the action near the end of a regular meeting that also included presentations on enrollment trends, curriculum purchases and other budget items. Administrators pointed trustees to Texas Department of State Health Services demographic data cited in the presentation and to recent district snapshots used to model fiscal impacts.

A copy of the reorganization map, the district’s enrollment dashboard and the timeline for teacher professional development and family outreach are to be posted on the district website and distributed to families in coming weeks.