All over North Texas, school districts are making hard decisions: Budget cuts, staff reductions, school closures and consolidations. Name a school district and you will find a similar version of this narrative, driven mostly by enrollment decline.
Earlier this month, we learned that the nation’s fertility rate dropped by 1%, continuing a nearly two-decade decline, according to federal data. North Texas is still growing in population, but many districts are seeing fewer children.
School districts are also facing competition from charter and private schools. And now, new state-sponsored education savings accounts might have an impact as well. Since school funding in Texas is largely tied to student attendance, districts are tightening their belts.
This is the new normal. School districts need to plan around declining enrollment and be prepared to manage costs. This includes closing schools, reducing staff and aligning their budgets with students’ needs. The way they communicate their decisions to families will matter as well.
Earlier this month, Richardson ISD proposed staff cuts and other program reductions expected to save about $25.7 million. The plan includes reducing roughly 95 full-time positions to align staffing with current enrollment trends, Superintendent Tabitha Branum said at an April 2 board of trustees meeting. Enrollment declined by 723 students last school year.
Facing an $8.5 million deficit, Coppell ISD reported $7 million in savings from payroll cuts, mostly by attrition and closing vacant positions. Coppell ISD projects a loss of more than 1,900 students for the next decade. But its Chief Financial Officer Amber Lasseigne told KERA they expect an increase of about 225 students for the next school year.
Dallas ISD is betting on universal pre-K for 3 and 4-year-olds. The program, previously offered to low-income students, may soon be expanded to more families at no cost. The expectation is that more families will stay in the district in the long run, said Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde.
Other districts are betting on their well-earned reputation. Frisco ISD has a program called Access Frisco that allows out-of-district students to enroll in a FISD school. FISD is preparing to launch Frisco Flex, a program that offers hybrid and fully online learning opportunities. We have reservations about this virtual program, but it is another example of how school districts are responding to their declining enrollment.
While districts have to do what they can to capture enrollment, there is going to be a limited pool of students available. Even with the best ideas, declining enrollment is here to stay.
School districts will continue to make difficult choices. Reducing costs will be the path forward.
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