Edgewood ISD superintendent warns vouchers, unfunded mandates could hit district finances; community urged to advocate

Superintendent James Hernandez urged Edgewood Independent School District families and trustees on Feb. 18 to track proposed state legislation, warning that education savings accounts (vouchers) and unfunded mandates pose immediate financial risks to the district.

Hernandez said the district continues to operate under unfunded mandates and a static basic student allotment, and he urged the community to engage with legislators as the 2025 session proceeds. He framed the concerns in budgetary terms, saying current funding formulas have not kept pace with inflation and listing operational needs such as building maintenance, technology replacement and employee pay.

The superintendent said Edgewood ISD receives a basic student allotment of $6,160 per pupil and highlighted the shortfall in school-safety funding, describing a calculation that left the district with roughly half of the funding it estimates is necessary for safety programs. "Most of our mandates are not funded," Hernandez said, adding that the district will provide monthly legislative updates and a resource page with contact information for staff.

The fiscal warnings followed public comments from two community members who urged board action. Agapita Jaramillo, a resident, praised targeted interventions for underperforming campuses but said parents are not being engaged in the types of two-way conversations she called for. She raised alarm about vouchers, citing a decline in district enrollment and the risk of losing more students if voucher proposals pass.

Letty Barbossum, a third-grade teacher at Roosevelt Dual Language Academy and president of the Edgewood Classroom Teachers Association, framed vouchers as an existential threat to public education in Edgewood. "Vouchers will poach students and tax dollars from Edgewood," she said, urging the district and community to mobilize and contact state legislators. Barbossum said the community should push back and that the board should help distribute information about local organizing and trips to the state capitol.

Why it matters: Hernandez said Edgewood serves about 8,000 students; a significant enrollment decline would reduce state funding and affect budgets for staff, facilities and student services. The superintendent described priorities district leaders have heard from the superintendent's community council and students — mental health, student support to address learning loss, employee recruitment and retention, and safety equipment — and said those priorities will guide the board’s budget recommendation in June.

Hernandez asked trustees to consider the district’s long-term investments, including teacher pipelines and a university partnership for employee health clinics intended to improve retention. He said the board adopted legislative priorities earlier and he will continue to press for funding changes in Austin.

Community response at the meeting focused on mobilizing parents and staff. Barbossum asked the board and administration to post flyers and use district social channels to advertise a planned Austin rally and to help families understand educational finance. Jaramillo urged more evening events to reach working parents and more transparent explanations of how funding works.

District clarifying details provided in the meeting included exact figures and program context: the basic student allotment of $6,160 per student (Hernandez), a school-safety per‑student allocation of $11 per day cited as insufficient, and a district budgeting cadence that produces a recommended budget to the board in June for adoption by July 1. Hernandez said the district's budget process runs six months of planning and workshops before the June recommendation.

Hernandez closed by promising regular legislative updates and a public resource page listing graduation dates, recent communications, and staff contact information for follow-up.