Northwest ISD leaders outline $16 million gap, pursue staff reallocations as students and parents plead to save AVID

Northwest Independent School District officials told the board on Thursday evening they are working through staffing reallocations and program changes to close an estimated $16 million budget gap while students and parents pleaded with trustees to preserve the AVID program at Northwest High School.

The district presented a multi-part plan that relies primarily on personnel changes — what staff described as the ‘‘big rocks’’ of the budget — along with $3 million in non-payroll cuts. Superintendent Dr. Faust and district administrators said they are using attrition, an early resignation incentive and program-model changes to reassign staff and reduce expenditures.

The discussion matters because roughly 81% of the district budget is payroll; administrators said that leaves limited non-payroll savings. ‘‘We are turning up every stone, looking for every penny, every dollar that we can,’’ said Board member Jonathan Schluter during the discussion. Staff warned that the final plan depends on spring revenue projections, state legislative action and local property-value certifications.

Administrators described the process and timeline. District staff updated DK regulation language governing assignments and staffing for new or under-enrolled campuses and said they will seek to reassign affected employees within the district where possible. Human resources staff set a March 12 deadline for an early-resignation incentive and said they aim to have reassignments in place by about April 7. The district also plans to move administrative contract renewals to align with teacher contracts in April.

Chief presenters emphasized substantial work already done: the district identified about $5.7 million in classroom personnel reductions and roughly $6 million in non‑classroom personnel reductions through earlier analyses but acknowledged a remaining payroll gap. ‘‘We have not reached that goal, and we don't have an answer for that gap at this time,’’ one administrator said of the $13 million payroll goal. District finance staff noted the difficulty of projecting revenue while the Texas Legislature is still considering school funding and while local appraisal values remain preliminary.

At the podium during the public-comment period, students and a parent described AVID — Advancement Via Individual Determination — as a program that changed students’ academic outcomes and urged trustees not to cut it. "AVID changed my life," said Sophia Brimley, a sophomore at Northwest High School, who told the board she went from homeschooling and struggling with learning differences to straight A's and honors classes after joining AVID. Her mother, Jill Brumley, said AVID provided supports that helped her daughter attend school and improve academically. "I'm praying that I can get through the speech," she said, and described the program as life-changing for students with special education needs.

Another student, Mackenzie Walker, said the program has a 100% college acceptance rate and urged the district to find savings elsewhere: "Costs such as administrative pay and expenses could be reduced," she said, suggesting fundraisers and other offsets if the program must be maintained.

Administrators responded that staff have solicited and compiled internal ideas using workshops, thought-exchange tools and multiple budget meetings since December. They said they analyzed ‘‘big rocks’’ such as staffing ratios and program models, and ‘‘small rocks’’ such as outsourced services, software subscriptions and travel. Some non-payroll savings targeted so far include contract renegotiations for outsourced grounds and custodial services, technology-license reviews and changes to convocation logistics.

Officials warned that some ideas are infeasible or risk shifting costs. For example, transportation for some career-and-technical education programs is funded through CTE allocations and reducing that transportation could reduce related revenue. Administrators also noted fixed costs tied to growth — student-information and finance software scale with enrollment and cannot be cut if the district grows.

Board members asked about service models for required student services. Human-resources and special-education staff said dyslexia services are being realigned under special education; dyslexia staff who are not already certified in special education will be moved to that assignment or retrained where possible. Gifted-and-talented services will continue but with adjustments to the delivery model to increase efficiency while still serving qualifying students.

The district encouraged community involvement in legislative advocacy, supplying a QR code with sample letters to state legislators and scheduling local and Austin advocacy events in late February and early March. Administrators said they will follow up with communications and a public FAQ and feedback hotline. "We are not sufficiently funded," Superintendent Dr. Faust said. "We have to advocate."

Board and staff members repeatedly said they are trying to protect classroom instruction while addressing a structural deficit. The staff timeline anticipates personnel meetings in February and March, preliminary property-value information in late April, and final budget adoption in June. District leaders cautioned that the outcome depends on state funding decisions and certified property values, and said more specific staffing changes will be communicated to affected employees as the process advances.

Ending: The board heard extensive discussion and public testimony but did not take formal votes on staffing reallocations at the meeting. Trustees directed administrators to continue the reallocation process, pursue non-payroll savings, negotiate vendor contracts, and keep the community informed as decisions are refined and as state and local revenue information becomes available.