Teaching jobs are on the chopping block at San Antonio ISD, but it’s not the only school district struggling to stay afloat.
North East ISD leaders say that they’ve scaled back on expenses like travel, food, and electricity by shutting off the lights and bringing down the thermostat. But they say those measures are still not enough to get the budget on track.
NEISD student enrollment dropped by 1,400 from 2017-2018.
"One of the main things we've seen is a trend in charter schools. They've really focused on coming to Bexar County and we have a couple that have set up shop in the heart of North East ISD, so I think a lot of parents are using charter schools now," NEISD spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor said.
The enrollment loss is forcing NEISD to scale back next school year.
"No one is losing their jobs. The only thing that is changing is when 400 employees put in their resignation from now until the end of the school year, instead of hiring each and every one of those back, we'll hire about 100 fewer," Chancellor explained.
SAISD plans to cut 60 teachers to deal with a $31 million budget shortfall for the next school year after enrollment dropped by 2,000 students. It’s a significant drop that took school district leaders by surprise.
A spokesperson with Judson ISD says that they also saw enrollment drop and implemented a hiring freeze to keep their teachers employed.
While some major school districts are scaling back, Northside ISD continues to grow. They have plans to open four new schools and hire about 30 teachers.
As for SAISD and NEISD, they predict the number of students enrolled in the school district will continue to drop.
SAISD projects that 800 fewer students will enroll in during the 2018-2019 school year and NEISD estimates a 1,300 drop in student enrollment.
"The major problem is the state legislature. They continually do not fund public education properly,” Chancellor said. “They know there is a problem, yet they don't want to do anything about it, so we've really been suffering for the last few years."
According to Chancellor, the plan to eliminate 100 positions at NEISD would save the school district $12 million but says that the savings will not be enough.
Chancellor added that NEISD will be forced to dip into a reserve account to make ends meet.
SAISD will be presenting a list of 60 teachers recommended for termination during a school board meeting next Monday.
School officials at SAISD say that they are also looking at making cuts in other departments.