Jonathan Pastusek, Northwest ISD’s chief financial officer, recently likened his district’s current financial predicament to moving “big rocks.”
Those big rocks include staffing adjustments, program efficiencies and budget reductions aimed at closing a $16 million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year. In November, district residents rejected an increased tax rate that would have raised enough revenue to cover the deficit.
The analogy — shared by Pastusek during the district’s most recent budget workshop Jan. 23 — underscored the weight of decisions ahead, he said. During the meeting, trustees unanimously agreed to increase class sizes for next school year throughout elementary, middle and high school campuses.
In doing so, 101 teaching positions across the district will be eliminated by the 2025-26 school year — though district officials do not expect to lay off any existing teachers. The district, which calls itself the fastest-growing in North Texas, serves 34,000 students in Tarrant, Denton and Wise counties.
“This is really challenging,” Superintendent Mark Foust said. “It’s people’s lives — our people’s lives that are involved. It affects our kids, and that’s our first concern. Right after that is how it affects the people on our team.”
The district’s budget prioritization revolves around three core objectives, Pastusek said:
- Safeguarding the reserves
- Protecting student programs
- Maintaining compensation
However, the current financial outlook demands adjustments, he said. Since the Texas Legislature last increased per-student funding in 2019, the district’s budget structure is no longer feasible, he said.
“That’s what’s caused our $16 million deficit,” Pastusek said. “What is our goal? We’ve got to restructure.”
Teacher-student ratio adjustments
Trustees first approved an alteration of district staffing ratios.
Currently, elementary schools operate with a ratio of 22 students to one teacher in kindergarten through fourth grade. The new plan increases the ratios for second through fourth grades to 24 students to a teacher.
“We would actually be (even) in the number of teachers we would need for next year,” Pastusek said. “We would not have to add any, we would not have to lose any. That includes the growth of students.”
Still, 26 elementary teaching positions will be eliminated through attrition. Because state law caps elementary class sizes at 22 students, the district must seek an exemption from the Texas Education Agency.
At the secondary level, the current staffing ratio assigns 165 students to one teacher across seven periods each day.
Next school year, that ratio will increase to 180 students per teacher, resulting in larger class sizes and the elimination of 60 positions through attrition. Those cuts should save $4.6 million, Pastusek said, and represent a 15% decrease in staffing needs.
Arts, athletics program changes
Beyond core classroom staffing, Northwest ISD will also make adjustments in athletics and fine arts. Officials stressed program offerings would not be impacted.
Athletic Director Joel Johnson proposed reducing the number of athletic class periods at each high school, Pastusek said. Those freed-up periods would be reassigned to academic classes, helping to reduce the need for additional teachers.
The district will also decrease fine arts staffing by 15%. While larger programs may get slight adjustments based on enrollment and participation, some teachers might split time between campuses to cover needs without hiring additional staff.
All staffing reductions will happen through attrition — avoiding immediate layoffs — and ensuring efficient use of staff across the district, Pastusek said.
Shifts in athletics and fine arts are expected to save the district about $1.1 million, without eliminating programs.
‘Very, very deep cuts’
In addition to increasing class sizes and adjusting extracurricular staffing, the district plans to save $6 million by reorganizing how non-classroom staff are used by reducing or combining support staff positions, like instructional aides or office assistants, and changing how certain programs, like special education or library services, are delivered.
Some positions will be eliminated, while others might be reassigned to different campuses or roles.
Though these staffing changes account for most of the budget reductions, the district is targeting another $3 million in non-payroll savings, including changes to technology contracts, supply budgets and operational expenses.
“These are what I call very, very deep cuts,” Pastusek said. “The good thing here is that I don’t feel we are eliminating programs necessarily.”
Rising costs, including insurance and health benefits, add another challenge to balancing the budget, Pastusek said.
The district is still searching for ways to close the remaining $1.2 million gap, which Pastusek theorizes could be attained through revenue generation, like increasing facility rentals, boosting enrollment in tuition-based programs or seeking additional grants and partnerships.
“We’re going to have a meeting where we’re bringing the ideas we come up with on that,” he said.
Growing budget concerns have prompted the district to prioritize transparent and compassionate communication, officials said. Families are used to certain expectations of service offerings and, now, those are being changed — even if programs aren’t cut.
“Hey, we’re serving your kids. They’re gonna get a great education here,” Foust said. “We’re just doing it differently.”
Listening sessions with principals and staff are ongoing to gather feedback and ensure the transition is as smooth as possible. Administrators will remain flexible, they said. If the Legislature takes action, the district would look at returning to its previous student-to-teacher ratios, Patusek said.
For now — instead of fighting in the Legislature — the district’s focus is on balancing the budget and maintaining financial stability.
“We can move along and just let our amazing district administration do the things we hired them to do,” board President Steve Sprowls said.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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