Message from the Superintendent: Secondary Staffing Update

HP Family,

I want to provide a final update on how we’re budgeting for the upcoming school year. Last month, I shared that we’re making proactive staffing adjustments, due to enrollment trends and statewide funding constraints.

Specifically, I shared that we’re currently absorbing over $6 million dollars in staffing inefficiencies based on our declining enrollment. In fact, our projections show that we will level out at about 5,900 students in 2029—which amounts to a further $4 million dollar reduction over the next four years.

These are not unique trends to HPISD, as declining birth rates and lower enrollments are common statewide. When you also consider that roughly 85 percent of all public school district budgets are comprised of staffing, it’s not surprising that many districts are having to make tougher choices like closing schools, completely eliminating programs, and cutting jobs.

In HPISD, we are prioritizing our people. This means that some of our programs will look different, but no employees will be out of a job.

Last month, we shared our elementary school adjustments, which include departmentalizing 4th grade and altering our Spanish and Science lab instruction.

This week, we shared that secondary teachers who teach elective courses, or non-core subjects, or LOTE, will be covering one additional class period during the instructional day. While this is a change for some, it aligns with statewide practice—and more importantly—it ensures that we can retain all of our teachers for the upcoming school year.

In an effort to efficiently plan for next school year, we are also offering an early announcement incentive. This is a one-time payment given to eligible employees, who provide early notice of their pre-planned retirement or resignation. These incentives help school districts better plan for staffing and budget needs before the height of the hiring season. In fact, this common practice removes many summer surprises that can leave a campus scrambling to make a quality hire at the last minute. Our goal is to always retain all of our valued teachers, but if plans are already made, we will always make better decisions for everyone, when we know individual plans sooner, rather than later.

Again, all of these decisions were made in partnership with our principals, who emphasized student achievement and job protection. This announcement also concludes all of our major staffing adjustments for the upcoming school year.

That being said, we recognize that any change—big or small—can be difficult. Our goal is to always be upfront, transparent, and timely with decisions that impact our organization. I would also stress that Highland Park ISD is in good financial standing, despite these necessary adjustments. The truth is, school districts can only pass deficit budgets for so long before broader decisions have to be made.

The plans we’ve made in Highland Park ISD retain our programs, they protect jobs, and they ensure that we will continue to offer our staff raises—regardless of what happens in Austin.

Simply put, that is not the reality for the vast majority of public schools in our state.

Finally, I encourage you to stay informed about school finances in Texas. You can view the HPISD legislative priorities and find the contact information to our local legislators by visiting our website.

As always, we appreciate your partnership and we appreciate your support.

Dr. Mike Rockwood

Superintendent of Schools