Arlington ISD is undergoing a reorganization as it deals with a $9 million budget shortfall, Superintendent Matt Smith announced to staff May 7.
The changes, set to not impact classroom teaching positions, will see some open and filled positions dissolved within the central office, departments and campuses, according to the email Smith sent to staff. It is unclear how many positions are affected. Smith wrote that the changes have resulted in reductions of 6% in the central office budget and 3% in campus budgets.
“During this time, leaders across our district have taken on the difficult task of identifying positions whose functions could be assumed by other staff or that aren’t aligned with our current enrollment,” Smith wrote. “Based on this analysis, we are beginning to reorganize some positions throughout our school district.”
The district faces a $9 million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year. That shortfall was amended from $13 million in late April after the district spent less than expected because of vacant positions, Chief Financial Officer Norberto Rivas told trustees.
Affected employees who have a contract will be reassigned to different positions that align with their current role.
Other impacted employees will be able to apply for open positions within the district, according to Smith’s email.
Employees whose positions will be affected by the changes have had in-person meetings with a supervisor or will have one when the employee is at work, according to the email.
Fighting the budget shortfall
Board President Justin Chapa said the announcement is symptomatic of a lack of funding from the state.
Texas funds education based on the number of students who attend class. Schools will receive $6,215 per student in the new school year. That is an increase of $55 per student from previous years after the Legislature approved the bump in 2025.
The amount has not kept up with inflation, Chapa said.
The district also currently faces declining enrollment. Currently, Arlington ISD’s student population sits around 51,000, but projections show that population could be closer to 43,000 by 2033.
Budget surpluses have prevented Arlington ISD from dipping into its reserves, Chapa said. But lagging state funding and declining enrollment caught up and required further action, he added.
“We’ve been fortunate at AISD to have a fund balance or a surplus reserve to draw on to give us a longer runway to address these issues while minimizing the impacts on staff,” Chapa said. “But the runway is not indefinite.”
Chapa said Smith’s approach of cutting open positions and realigning employees matches what the board has done in the past. The district also eliminated open positions in 2024 to help close its budget shortfall.
“This is just another way to achieve cost savings while minimizing the impact on staff,” Chapa said in an interview Friday.
Chapa did not want to make light of those leaving positions that they like, but said the goal is to retain them and save money.
Arlington isn’t alone in feeling a budget crunch as other districts are taking the same approach, he added.
“You don’t have hundreds of districts that are already sharpening their pencils every year suddenly reach these types of decisions due to some sort of irresponsibility,” Chapa said.
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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