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Mercedes ISD board hears attendance and enrollment report; ADA drop cited as near‑term budget risk
Summary
District staff told trustees average enrollment fell about 90 students year‑over‑year and average daily attendance (ADA) dropped about 114 students; administrators said the ADA loss could reduce state funding by roughly $1 million as the district builds next year's budget.
Mercedes Independent School District leaders presented trustees with an August-to‑April snapshot showing a year‑to‑date enrollment decline and mixed attendance results that administrators said will factor into next year's budget.
Technology Director Roland Handy said the district will report three indicators each month: average enrollment, attendance rate and ADA (average daily attendance). He told trustees the district recorded an average‑enrollment drop of about 90 students compared with the prior year, an attendance‑rate increase of roughly 0.92 percentage points, and an ADA decline of about 114.1 students.
Dr. Clinton and district staff explained why ADA matters for funding: the district uses ADA to build state funding projections, and the district calculates a weighted funding estimate of about $8,000 per ADA. "We're building into the budget about a decrease in close to a million dollars in funding from the state due to the ADA," Dr. Clinton said during the discussion.
Trustees reviewed campus‑level figures presented by staff. Among examples cited in the presentation:
- Mercedes Early Literacy: average enrollment down 22 students; ADA down roughly 5.34 students. - Taylor Elementary: average enrollment down 47 students; ADA down about 24.06 students. - Sergeant Chacon Middle School: average enrollment down 51 students; ADA down about 46.22 students. - Mercedes Early College Academy (MECA): average enrollment up 4 students; ADA up about 4.71 students. - Mercedes High School: average enrollment down 18 students, with a reported ADA increase (staff noted a 27 increase in ADA for the high school as presented).
Trustees and administrators discussed how the district uses ADA to model next year's revenues and emphasized that ADA is a better number for financial projections than simple enrollment counts. Trustee comments praised staff for outreach that increased the attendance rate in several campuses and urged continued work to improve attendance and mitigate funding risk.
Ending: Trustees asked staff to continue monitoring enrollment, refine revenue projections for the budget cycle, and report back with follow up analysis and recommendations.
