Northside board hears $96M budget shortfall warning; trustees approve budget amendment and consent items amid hiring freeze

Superintendent Dr. Kristopher Kraft and senior staff warned trustees the district must plan for substantial budget reductions unless the state provides unexpected new funding. Staff described a projected fiscal-year 2026 operating gap the superintendent quantified at roughly $96 million and outlined near-term mitigation steps including a hiring freeze for non‑critical positions, a district charge for departments to develop reduction scenarios (including a 10 percent planning target), review of prior ESSER‑funded positions and projects, and exploration of changes to staffing ratios.

Kraft said the district’s top objective is to preserve jobs for current employees and to protect classroom programming; at the same time, he told trustees the district must identify sustainable savings and asked campuses and central-office units to prepare potential reductions for review. Staff presented illustrative staffing-ratio scenarios showing how incremental increases in student‑to‑teacher ratios at elementary, middle and high school levels would produce headcount and dollar savings (staff emphasized these were planning scenarios, not final recommendations). Trustees discussed waiver rules for K–4 class-size limits and asked for additional analysis and a timetable for decisions so staffing and recruitment plans would align with projected changes.

While the broader discussion continued, the board took two formal votes on items staff had placed on the agenda:

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: The board approved the consent agenda in a single motion. Trustee Karen Freeman moved approval; a second was made on the record but not named in the public minutes. No roll-call tally was recorded; the chair announced the motion carried.

- Budget Amendment No. 2: The board approved a budget amendment that recognized a reduction in expected federal SHARS reimbursements to the general fund, a roughly $2.5 million net increase in the general‑fund deficit after expenditure adjustments, and amendments to the Child Nutrition Fund (about $1 million lower revenue due to fewer reimbursable meals and roughly $3 million of increased expenditures for cafeteria equipment and improvements as part of a fund-balance spend-down required by the Texas Department of Agriculture). Trustee Karen Freeman moved approval of the budget amendment; the motion was seconded on the record (no name recorded). The chair called for the ayes, and the motion carried.

Later, after a closed session, the board returned and approved administrative appointments presented in closed session; the motion to accept administrative recommendations was moved and seconded and carried.

Ending: Trustees directed staff to continue developing budget-reduction options for review at upcoming finance and board meetings and to schedule dedicated budget sessions so trustees can consider detailed proposals in advance of the FY26 budget cycle.