Despite the fact the Stafford MSD Board of Trustees voted in May to shrink the districtâs staff amid talk of budget concerns, Superintendent Robert Bostic says the district is in a better fiscal position now and hasnât actually reduced the number of full-time staff.
The district did, however, eliminate some administrative positions, Bostic said.
District leaders in May had been concerned because they received projections that the student enrollment might decline by more than 300 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and moved to reduce staff in order to fix a possible future budget crunch, Bostic explained last week.
Even at the time, the district had a healthy fund balance of about $14 million, but wanted to make a long-term fix, Bostic said.
During a special called meeting on May 17, the Stafford MSD Board of Trustees voted 4-2 to shrink the districtâs staff by terminating Early Childhood Center assistant principal Ciji Lange and Chief Innovations Officer Marva Rasberry.Â
Board President Christopher Caldwell made the motion to not renew the contracts of Lange and Rasberry, which was supported by Manuel Hinojosa, Greg Holsapple and Ash Hamirani. Alicia Lacy-Castille and Jacquelyn Jean-Baptiste voted against the motion. Â
The newest SMSD board member, Dawn Reichling, abstained from the vote.Â
Lange and Rasberry could not be reached for comment.Â
According to a news release from SMSD spokesperson Gracie Martinez, the district has experienced a decrease in enrollment of 300 students since the 2019-20 school year and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Martinez said the contracts for Lange and Rasberry are set to expire at the end of the current school year in June.