SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Northside Independent School District is facing a $35 million budget deficit. But, that\u2019s down significantly from when it once neared $108 million.<\/p>\n
The school board has addressed roughly $70 million worth of debt without school closures, and it\u2019s aiming to balance the books next year.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In the last decade, San Antonio ISD closed 25 schools, while Judson ISD voted to close five schools<\/a>, Northeast ISD closed three and Edgewood ISD closed two to assist with budget deficits or declining enrollment.<\/p>\n While school closures are not off the table, Northside ISD Superintendent John M. Craft said they are not the district\u2019s immediate focus in addressing the budget shortfall.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019re looking at potentially consolidations or potential closures but that\u2019s not what\u2019s driving the conversation,\u201d Craft said. \u201cI don\u2019t foresee it happening going into the 26-27 school year … We can really make reductions through attrition as we have this year.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have vouchers on the horizon of being implemented to start next school year,\u201d Craft said, \u201cso we anticipate that we\u2019re gonna be able to make even further reductions without really impacting academic programs in particular and having to reduce staff.”<\/p>\n