Brazosport ISD proposes campus consolidations to close budget gap as enrollment falls

Brazosport ISD officials on Tuesday told the board that falling student enrollment and average daily attendance have produced a structural funding shortfall and outlined campus consolidation scenarios intended to reduce operating costs while protecting classroom programs. "This creates a projected budget deficit of approximately $12,300,000," presenter Luthie Cansino said during a 2026–27 budget workshop, identifying lower ADA, a roughly $1,500,000 reduction in Chapter 313 receipts and other revenue pressures.

Cansino placed the districtwide utilization rate at about 69%, below the 85–95% range staff described as optimal, and said consolidation and grade reconfiguration could raise overall utilization to about 77% while preserving programs. The slide deck offered three scenarios, including a year‑one reconfiguration in the Lake Jackson feeder pattern that would close a middle school, shift sixth graders to the intermediate campus and leave attendance boundaries unchanged. "No one will lose their job as a result of this plan," Cansino said, describing staffing reductions as expected to occur through attrition rather than targeted layoffs.

Why it matters: state school funding follows students and attendance; districts that lose ADA receive less state revenue even if physical enrollment falls more slowly. Trustees and residents said they need clear numbers on classroom capacity, transfer rules and how consolidation would affect student schedules and programs before a final decision.

Board members pressed staff on key assumptions. Trustees asked whether the projected revenues and the deficit figures included adjustments for specific campuses (a Rasco adjustment was cited during questions) and how "functional capacity" was defined. Staff responded that functional capacity accounts for class sizes and program needs — not simply seat counts — and that typical class sizes range about 19–21 in elementary grades and average 24:1 in secondary periods.

Parents and students urged clearer communication and reassurance on transfers and services. Parent Matthew Mcservi thanked staff for the detail but asked whether the district has done classroom‑by‑classroom availability checks to ensure students can be accommodated; staff said they had reviewed room availability and that the proposed moves do not require increasing the district's target staffing ratios. Student Savannah Oliwadis, who self‑identified as a BISD student, told trustees some parents feel "blindsided" and asked for simpler explanations of how attendance affects school assignments.

Savings and next steps: staff cited specific cost‑reduction measures already taken — including insurance and travel savings, reclassifying software licenses and the closure of Stephen F. Austin — that together were listed as millions in savings to date. The presentation estimated smaller‑scale consolidations (combining programs) could save roughly $350,000, while larger adjustments in certain feeder patterns might generate about $1,800,000 annually. A slide also compared the district’s administrative cost ratio (~7.7%) with peer districts to show administrative spending is not the principal driver of the shortfall.

Trustees and staff said they expect to reach a decision before the end of the school year so planning can proceed for the next academic year; no formal vote or binding action occurred at the workshop. The board announced it would move to an executive session to consider matters permitted under the Texas Open Meetings Act, including personnel and real‑property matters, before adjourning the public session.