Gadsden superintendent recommends consolidating Berino Elementary amid projected budget shortfall

Superintendent Dempsey of Gadsden Independent Schools recommended consolidating Berino Elementary at a community meeting, saying the district faces declining enrollment and uncertain state funding that could create a budget shortfall as soon as next year.

Dempsey told the assembled parents and staff that district enrollment has fallen from about 13,120 to roughly 11,300 over the past seven years and that state “unit value” funding — the per‑student revenue the district receives — is not likely to rise enough to offset that decline. “Our budget at the end of the day is tied to enrollment,” he said.

The recommendation is part of a broader “right‑sizing” plan Dempsey said the board requested. He said the district will reassign Berino students to nearby campuses (North Valley, Vado and Gadsden Elementary were discussed as receiving campuses) if the board approves consolidation. He also noted ongoing facility work: a middle school reconstruction will create a sixth‑grade STEM academy and shift sixth graders out of elementary schools, which affects future enrollment counts.

Why it matters: Dempsey warned that if the district cannot close the gap between falling enrollment and revenue, the district will face tough staffing choices, including reductions in force. He described a voluntary retirement incentive that he estimates would cost about $1.3 million but could create larger budgetary space in the following year; Dempsey described a planning projection that would add roughly $6.6 million to budget flexibility if uptake is sufficient. “If I don’t pay attention to the budget, I’m not taking care of your kids,” he said.

Services and staff: Dempsey and district staff repeatedly said special education (SPED) and bilingual students would be prioritized in placements. “When we move students, we have to move staff with them. We’re not just gonna move students and not move staff,” Dempsey said, answering a parent’s question about supports for an autistic student. The district’s associate superintendent for human resources said Vado Elementary currently has staffing availability and the district average pupil‑teacher ratio is about 14:1; state guidelines cited in the meeting were kinder 20, grades 1–3 23, grades 4–5 25.

Transportation, class size and facilities: Parents raised concerns about longer bus rides, student anxiety on buses and possible classroom crowding. Dempsey said rezoning would drive new bus routes and emphasized the state’s transportation funding shortfall — the district has supplemented the transportation budget by about $1 million annually. On facilities, Dempsey said Alta Vista Early College serves about 200 students and needs a permanent building; he described a roughly $3 million cost estimate to build a new pre‑K center and said moving some pre‑K functions into existing nearby facilities could avoid that expense.

Security and safety: The superintendent discussed security staffing and said consolidating campuses could make it easier to place security personnel, nurses and counselors where needed. “Personally, what would I want is … a nurse, a counselor, a social worker and an armed security guard at every single campus,” he said, while acknowledging budget limits.

Community reaction and next steps: Many parents and grandparents described Berino as a neighborhood school and urged alternative funding approaches, including bonds or tax increases. Dempsey said he will present the community feedback and his recommendations to the governing board and encouraged participation in additional events and a district staff survey; he noted a follow‑up community meeting scheduled for Nov. 17 at Chaparral High School and invited residents to another 5:30 meeting the same day. No formal vote or board decision occurred at the meeting.

What is undecided: Dempsey emphasized that his remarks were recommendations to the board, not final actions. He said attendance‑zone changes, bus routes and staffing placements would follow any formal consolidation decision by the board.