SAN ANTONIO – Northside Independent School District is facing a $35 million budget deficit. But, that’s down significantly from when it once neared $108 million.
The school board has addressed roughly $70 million worth of debt without school closures, and it’s aiming to balance the books next year.
Northside ISD is the largest school district in the San Antonio area, with roughly 98,000 students, towering over North East ISD, San Antonio ISD and Judson ISD.
In the last decade, San Antonio ISD closed 25 schools, while Judson ISD voted to close five schools, Northeast ISD closed three and Edgewood ISD closed two to assist with budget deficits or declining enrollment.
While school closures are not off the table, Northside ISD Superintendent John M. Craft said they are not the district’s immediate focus in addressing the budget shortfall.
“Yes, we’re looking at potentially consolidations or potential closures but that’s not what’s driving the conversation,” Craft said. “I don’t foresee it happening going into the 26-27 school year … We can really make reductions through attrition as we have this year.”
Northside ISD said they are heading into budget discussions with an unclear picture, however, as it still does not know how many students it will serve next year. That directly impacts how much state funding it will receive.
“We have vouchers on the horizon of being implemented to start next school year,” Craft said, “so we anticipate that we’re gonna be able to make even further reductions without really impacting academic programs in particular and having to reduce staff.”
Texas Education Freedom Accounts, commonly known as school vouchers, allows state money to follow students to private or home schools. The program has raised concerns among public school leadership.
“A billion dollars went to this program that could have gone to help support and fund public education,” Craft said.
To better understand future needs, Northside ISD launched an “optimization survey” for families living within the district.
The online questionnaire asks parents and community members to weigh in on what they believe defines a thriving school and which programs they value most.
“We want to hear from our community, our parents in particular, students,” Craft said. “What programs are really thriving? What programs are you interested in for potential expansion?”
District leaders plan to review survey responses over the next several weeks.
They expect to chip away further at the remaining $35 million deficit largely through attrition, meaning through retirements and staff who leave on their own, rather than layoffs.
KSAT is following discussions around San Antonio about school closures and changes brought by Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Read more of our reporting below:
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