The two plans outline staff recommendations for staffing reductions, policy changes, program eliminations, school consolidation and other measures to bring a near-balanced budget by the end of the 2027-28 school year.
The board voted 4-3 on Dec. 18 to postpone CAPA discussion until January, with board President Monica Ryan citing lack of time to read a Dec. 17 update to the plan. Ryan, board Vice President Amanda Poteet, and trustees Lesley Lee and Stephanie Jones voted for postponement, while trustees Jose Macias Jr., Suzanne Kenoyer and Laura Stanford voted against.
How we got here
The current recurring shortfall faced by the district is $18.3 million, according to board documents. For fiscal year 2025-26, $15.8 million in one-time costs for self-funded health insurance are projected for the shortfall, leaving the projected 2025-26 shortfall at $34.1 million.
The staff recommendations come after the district’s voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, failed. If approved, the $1.0796 tax rate would have provided approximately $21 million in annual revenue.
The approach
The CAPA discussed in earlier December board meetings recommended $16.79 million in reductions, with the remainder of recurring debt to be discussed in spring 2026.
A revision on Dec. 17 now recommends $17.76 million in the first year, or FY 2025-26 reductions, and $34.92 million in overall reductions, according to board documents. If all staff recommendations move forward, the estimated shortfall for 2026-27 would be $13.9 million.
For 2025-26, a staffing goal in the CAPA is to decrease the shortfall via hiring pause on approximately 162 vacancies, as well as millions in position eliminations, reductions or policy-based changes, according to the CAPA document.
Specific positions and programs will be recommended for elimination based on several factors, such as a staffing study by MoakCasey, with the superintendent granting final approval for the recommendations to be brought to the board.
Administration’s recommendation is to address positions through end-of-year attrition as well as nonrenewals of noncertified staff, District of Innovation staff and probationary staff. Attrition is when employees leave a district, according to the Texas Education Agency.
According to board documents, one of three JISD commitments during the CAPA process is that no certified classroom teachers will be reduced in the 2025-26 school year.
What else?
Outside of staffing, CAPA recommendations state that two elementary schools and one middle school should be consolidated to generate between $4.71 million to $6.13 million in annual savings.
Staff is currently in preparations with stakeholders to present a consolidation plan in January, with plans to transition all staff and students to other campuses before the start of the 2026-27 year. Staff also recommended calling for another VATRE in November 2026, and if unsuccessful, consider additional consolidation in the 2027-28 school year.
Other nonstaffing proposed savings include software program reductions, the elimination of enrichment programs such as Spanish immersion at Wortham Oaks Elementary School, and the possible sale of commercial property not related to instruction.
Offering input
Ryan said she did not feel comfortable discussing the CAPAs due to a lack of time to read the updated items.
“These are real people’s lives, and I’m not willing to make a hasty decision without all the information and input because we just received this plan last night. ... I can’t risk not getting this right,” Ryan said.
Poteet agreed that more time was needed to approve a “strategic, cohesive plan.”
“These decisions are going to follow us to the end of our tenure. ... I need to be given the time. I need to be allowed to have more than a few hours of discussion,” Poteet said.
Macias said he sees the CAPAs as a starting point and is prepared to begin making decisions, particularly as it relates to consolidation.
“We all know that we have to talk about consolidating schools. This is the time for us to tell [the] administration we’re okay with step one of that consolidation. ... The further we push this down, it allows for anxieties to continue, and those anxieties are not good for our community,” Macias said.
Kenoyer also said the CAPA process is a “working document” and was ready to discuss each line item if needed.
“I’m not saying that we necessarily have to blindly accept everything that’s in here, but I think [the] administration needs feedback on our tolerance level based on what we’re hearing from our constituents. ... I think we’ve got to get moving on this,” Kenoyer said.
Public input
Judson Education Foundation President Shannon Brown said prior to the Dec. 9 CAPA discussion that she has been frustrated with the current financial situation and discourse among trustees.
“We make money to fill the gaps, and we can only fill the gaps so much. A million dollars in the bank will only make the teachers so happy,” Brown said.
Andrew Holmes, an elementary math coordinator in the district, said Dec. 18 he is resigning from his position as a direct result of the financial situation and board messaging. He added that the district is currently “bleeding talent.”
“It’s your job collectively as a board to make sure we don’t end up in these situations. It’s your job to have the vision and the foresight to prevent us from being here,” Holmes said.
Wortham Oaks parent Sheri Thomas said she understands the budget crisis, but cutting academic enrichment programs such as Spanish immersion “is not going to solve that problem.”
“Wortham Oaks is one of the highest performing schools in Judson ISD, and Spanish immersion is a major reason for that success. ... If you remove the enrichment programs serving your highest-performing students respectfully, you would be lucky to remain a D-rated district. Families choose Wortham Oaks because of this program,” Thomas said.
