Latest news with #NorthwestISD
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fort Worth Independent School District board approves $43.6M deficit budget
The Fort Worth Independent School District's board approved a budget on Tuesday evening that leaves the district in a financial hole — but one district leaders expect to be able to climb partway out of in the next few months. The board voted unanimously to approve a $43.6 million deficit budget for the 2025-26 school year. But district leaders expect that number to shrink to $33 million in the coming months as funding measures that Texas lawmakers recently passed come into effect. Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria, the district's chief financial officer, said the district would need to dip into its reserves to cover the deficit. Over the next year, Fort Worth ISD's financial team will develop a three- to five-year financial plan to allow the district to put the district in a better financial position and allow it to move toward a balanced budget, she said. The general operating budget the board approved comes to $869.7 million. The bulk of the budget — $486 million, or about 58% of the general fund — is dedicated to instruction. While the operating budget the board approved is slightly smaller than the district's projected spending for the 2024-25 school year, its instructional budget grew by about $2 million. The budget doesn't include new money the district is set to receive through House Bill 2, an education finance bill that includes more than $8 billion in spending. Lawmakers passed the bill during the legislative session that wrapped up earlier this month. It includes money for teacher pay raises, campus safety requirements and incentives for high-performing teachers. The final version of the bill also included a $55 increase in the per-student allotment districts get from the state, marking the first adjustment lawmakers have made to the basic allotment since 2019. But that change represented a major departure from earlier versions of the bill, which included a $395 boost to the basic allotment. In the final version, lawmakers instead included targeted money for priorities such as transportation, insurance and costs associated with re-hiring retired teachers to fill vacancies. Arrieta-Candelaria said district leaders are still analyzing funding-related bills to figure out how they'll affect the district financially before incorporating them into the district's budget. District leaders will bring the raises outlined in House Bill 2 back to the board as a budget amendment proposal in July or August, Arrieta-Candelaria said. Fort Worth ISD isn't the only district dealing with budget woes. In April, Northwest ISD cut more than 100 teacher positions in an effort to close a $16 million budget deficit. Last month, Dallas ISD's board approved a budget with a $129 million shortfall, to be covered by the district's rainy day fund. During Tuesday's meeting, several board members said they were concerned about the district's financial stability. Board member Kevin Lynch noted that, at its current trajectory, the district could only afford to continue operating on deficit budgets for about another two years. Saying the situation caused him 'a little bit of heartburn,' Lynch said the board and school leaders will need to make some difficult financial decisions in the next few years. Last month, board members approved a plan to close 18 campuses over the next five years in response to more than a decade of declining enrollment and per-student revenue losses. But Karen Molinar, the district's superintendent, told the board on Tuesday that investing in instruction can be part of a strategy for attracting families back to the district. The district's student achievement has been stagnant for more than a decade, and its state test scores have lagged behind the state's other big urban districts. But there are signs that the district is making progress on that front. Also during Tuesday's meeting, Molinar presented the district's preliminary results from last spring's STAAR exams. Across grades 3 through 5, the district either held steady or gained ground in all subjects except 5th-grade math. While she acknowledged that the district isn't where it should be, Molinar said the progress on the state test is a sign that the district's strategy is working. The district also needs to do a better job of making sure families feel welcome in the district, Molinar said. Often, when parents transfer their kids out of the district, it's because they felt like no one was listening to them, she said. The district's leaders, both in its central office and at its campuses, need to make sure families understand that the district values them and their kids, she said. 'People want to be somewhere where they feel wanted, and where they feel comfortable,' Molinar said. 'And we have to be the ones who model that and put that in place.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Another North Texas school district cuts staffing, increases class sizes amid budget shortfalls
The Brief The Northwest ISD school board met Monday to discuss budget cuts approved last month. The approved plan includes not hiring any new full-time staff at the elementary level and a decrease of about 60 full-time employees at the middle and high school levels. The approved increase in class sizes includes grades 2-4 moving to 24 students per class. The middle schools and high schools are increasing to 180 students a teacher sees per day. The district hopes to have all reassignments and reallocations done by April 7. JUSTIN, Texas - Northwest ISD is the latest North Texas school district making plans to cut stuff to deal with budget shortfalls. What we know Last month, the school district — which serves 14 cities in Tarrant, Denton and Wise counties — approved the recommended changes to decrease full-time faculty and staff and increase class sizes. It would save the district about $5.7 million. The approved plan includes not hiring any new full-time staff at the elementary level and a decrease of about 60 full-time employees at the middle and high school levels. The plan also includes a 15% decrease in staffing for athletics and fine arts, saving an additional $1.1 million. The district hopes the decrease in staffing will come through resignations and retirements, but they can't promise there won't be any layoffs. The positions the district will reallocate and reassign include not just teachers, but also administration and support staff. The school board also approved cutting several programs, including AVID, a college preparation program for students who would be first-generation college students. The approved increase in class sizes includes grades 2-4 moving to 24 students per class. That's up from 22 students per class. The middle schools and high schools are increasing to 180 students a teacher sees per day. That's up from 165 students per day. During Monday's board meeting, it was shared that 18 employees have submitted an early resignation; most of them were retirements. Some other ideas up for discussion to reduce the budget deficit include cutting back on the number of middle school field trips, reducing outsourced programs like groundskeeping and custodial work and cutting campus budgets by 10%. What they're saying As seen with budget-cut decisions in other school districts, it was emotional news for students in the program. "Still kind of in shock, emotional," said parent Jill Brumley. "This little girl, my daughter, is an overcomer. No matter what is thrown her way, she just takes it one step at a time. And I tell her all the time, 'You're going to be a world-changer girl.'" What's next The district hopes to have all reassignments and reallocations done by April 7. The Source Information in this article comes from Northwest ISD and Monday's school board meeting.
CBS News
11-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Northwest ISD begins eliminating teachers amid $16 million deficit
JUSTIN — As Northwest Independent School District struggles with a $16 million budget deficit, the financial strain is beginning to impact classrooms. To address the shortfall, the district plans to eliminate 100 teaching positions, accounting for approximately $13 million in savings next school year. The reduction includes about 26 elementary school jobs, 60 middle and high school jobs, and 15 extracurricular positions—changes that will inevitably lead to larger class sizes. Officials say they hope to minimize direct layoffs by not refilling vacancies left by retirements or resignations. Typically, Northwest ISD hires around 500 new teachers annually, but that number will be significantly reduced this year. Still, some teachers have already received notice that their contracts will not be renewed. "It's super dark. It's really sad," said Ethan Munger, a Northwest High School teacher. "Some of the best young teachers I know lost their gigs. And some fantastic teachers who care a lot are now going to be on two campuses instead of one. A lot of kids are about to lose their favorite teachers." Munger said he doesn't blame the district but believes state leaders could have prevented it. "I definitely don't fault our administrators or our school board," he said. "I think we are in a really well-run district, and I have faith that what they are doing is the best thing to keep the ship afloat. I am disappointed in the state though, that's for sure. Because this is preventable. We have tens of billions of dollars in surplus just sitting there." In November, Northwest ISD families voted against a proposed tax increase that would have covered the deficit and preserved teaching positions. District officials have pointed to Texas' school funding crisis as a major factor, noting that per-student funding has not increased in six years, saying in part, "As with school districts across the state, Northwest ISD has been forced to make challenging staffing changes because of the ongoing Texas School Funding Crisis. Our deficit reduction plan focuses on retaining student programs and eliminating positions — including administration, teaching and support positions — through attrition, though we cannot guarantee all eliminated positions will be handled through absorbing vacated positions." According to online posts, some community members are planning to travel to the Texas State Capitol in two weeks to advocate for increased school funding. Although the district has approved the cuts, the process of implementing them is just beginning. Monday night's school board meeting is expected to provide more details on how these changes will be managed and how they will impact students and staff in the months ahead.
