Weslaco ISD reports slight enrollment dip, says fund balance can cover priorities
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Summary
Superintendent Richard Rivera told the board enrollment has fallen to about 16,020 students and flagged up to 29 grant-funded positions that could be cut if federal/state funding ends; he said the district’s preliminary fund balance — about $71 million, with roughly $57 million unassigned — gives flexibility to prioritize staff placements and projects.
Superintendent Dr. Richard Rivera told the Weslaco ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday that district enrollment has fallen from 16,289 in last November’s snapshot to about 16,020 as of the meeting, a decline he said translates into lower state funding tied to average daily attendance.
Rivera said the district is tracking nearly 900 transfers out of the district and expects staffing reductions by attrition, with possibly up to 10 teacher positions not replaced next year if enrollment and funding remain lower. “As of today, it’s 16,020,” Rivera said during the superintendent report.
Why it matters: ADA and enrollment figures drive state funding allocations; a sustained decline can reduce staffing capacity and require budget adjustments.
Rivera also told the board that roughly 29 positions — including curriculum coordinators, bilingual and migrant staff, ACE after‑school coordinators and other federally funded roles — are paid through grants that may expire at the end of the school year. He said district leadership plans to prioritize placing affected employees into district vacancies before hiring externally if grants are not renewed.
“We have to consider them first before we do any hiring of anyone else,” Rivera said, describing a plan to have grant-funded staff apply for unbudgeted district positions so they may retain employment if federal funds lapse.
On finances, Rivera presented preliminary fund-balance figures the auditors will review in February. He described a total fund balance in the neighborhood of $71 million and an unassigned fund-balance figure he rounded to about $57 million, which he characterized as a roughly 90‑day reserve. He listed one‑time projects already earmarked from that balance — turf, lights, buses, HVAC, playground and library equipment, sensory rooms and cameras — and said the board could elect to use part of the reserve for personnel or incomplete projects after the audit is final.
Trustees asked how much of the balance is effectively committed to board-approved one‑time projects; Rivera said roughly $6 million is committed and that the audit presentation in February will provide the definitive accounting. Several trustees asked about directing some of the fund balance to bolster counseling and mental‑health services, and Rivera and board members said they will return to that discussion after the audit.
What’s next: Rivera said the district will present the formal audit in February and the board will revisit possible use of fund balance for projects or staffing once auditors complete their review.
Speakers quoted or referenced in this report are Dr. Richard Rivera.