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Weslaco ISD reports sliding enrollment; superintendent warns of staffing, funding impacts
Summary
Superintendent Richard Rivera reported enrollment fell from 16,289 last November to 16,020 today, telling the board lower attendance threatens state funding and could trigger up to about 10 teacher reductions by attrition if trends continue.
Superintendent Richard Rivera told the Weslaco ISD Board of Trustees that the district’s enrollment has fallen over the past year and that declining attendance will reduce state funding tied to average daily attendance. “As of today, it's 16,020,” Rivera said during his superintendent’s report, noting the district had 16,289 students on Nov. 8 of the previous year.
Rivera and trustees discussed the budget implications: small swings in attendance can change state funding and staffing needs. Rivera said fewer students means fewer teachers and that the district expects to reduce positions by attrition—“we'll probably lose up to 10 teachers through attrition,” he said—rather than involuntary layoffs, if current trends continue. Trustees pressed staff for more data on why students are leaving; Rivera said many transfers are to nearby districts including Donna, Mercedes and Progreso.
The board also heard campus-level attendance percentages and comparisons to goals (elementary goal 96%, middle 95%, high 94%). Rivera noted that the district’s budget is currently modeled on a slightly lower ADA figure and that missing ADA translates into material revenue shortfalls. Trustees said they will continue monitoring benchmarks and directed staff to report further analysis in coming months.
Rivera framed the staffing response as prioritizing current grant-funded personnel first for any available district vacancies if federal or state grants do not continue past the end of the school year.
