Mesquite ISD Superintendent Announces 515 Employees Affected by Staff Cuts

A Personal and Difficult Decision

Dr. Angel Rivera, the superintendent of Mesquite Independent School District (MISD), has made it clear that the decision to reduce staff is something he takes very personally. “A lot of people assume just because I'm superintendent, I come from a well-off background,” Rivera said. “Well, my parents never graduated high school, and some of the positions that you saw last night that I cut were the very positions that they would have worked in this organization. So I don't take it lightly.”

The superintendent emphasized that understanding the implications of these difficult choices is why the district launched the campaign early, keeping employees informed throughout the process.

Financial Challenges and Enrollment Decline

Mesquite ISD is facing the same problem many Texas school districts have grappled with this year: fewer students mean lower state funding. Rivera explained that the traditional school funding model—where neighborhood families support the budget—is evaporating. The system has seen an estimated 4,000 drop in students since 2017.

Rivera stated that the Board of Trustees cannot continue to adopt budgets that result in deficits. With the current lack of student population, the district faces a $24 million funding gap for next year’s budget.

Staff Reduction as a Path Forward

To address the financial challenges, the district decided to go ahead with staff reductions. Positions being trimmed include those at the central office, lunchroom monitors, assistant high school principals, campus clerical roles, and teachers.

MISD noted that more than 80% of its budget goes to 5,797 employees, even though the total student count is 36,650.

Why Personnel Over Consolidation?

When asked why personnel cuts were chosen over consolidation, Rivera explained that the district's statistics show a significant drop in enrollment since 2017, while the staff has increased. “We felt that we needed to take a look at our staff counts, what is more efficient to run the school district, provide opportunities for students, grade the educational experience, especially with the funding formulas the way they are, to ensure that we're maximizing taxpayer dollars.”

Competition in Education

Rivera also highlighted the increasing competition for students. “Public schools are not the only show in town anymore. We have charter schools, private schools, and this year, we get the privilege of seeing what the educational savings account will do to public schools in Texas. There are micro schools, home schools, and Alpha school is now getting to be very big in the state and nationally. There's a lot of competition out there for parents to make a decision about where they want to put their children.”

Support for Affected Teachers

When asked how he would respond to teachers losing their jobs, Rivera acknowledged the anxiety involved. “This topic can elevate the level of anxiety of anyone. It has done that to me because it has not been an easy topic for me to discuss.” However, he emphasized that the district started the process early to take care of its employees, whom he refers to as the "Mesquite family."

“We could have done like any other district and announced through an email in April and May, your position is no longer available for the district. Good luck on your future endeavors. We cannot control the funding formulas in the state of Texas. We cannot control our enrollment for that fact. We cannot control what parents do each and every day. But we can control how we react to those things and how we lead, and that's what we're doing in Mesquite ISD. We're trying to take care of them.”

A Call for Innovation

Rivera believes the public school system needs to change its model. “We need to be more innovative. We need to explore options that we have never explored.” He pointed to the Carnegie units as a major obstacle, stating that the fixed minutes of instruction limit innovation.

“If you take out the obstacles, the impediments, and the restrictions on minutes, I think public schools will be able to compete a lot more. Because we offer things that they cannot offer.”

No Further Cuts Expected

Rivera does not expect further staff reductions based on a three-to-five-year plan the district has in place. Those impacted by the cuts will be notified by February 13th. Some positions will be consolidated.

All term-contract employees in good standing who wish to return to Mesquite ISD in 2026-27 will have positions. The district will need to identify 280 plus vacant teaching positions for those on the "must place list."

Staff Reduction Numbers

Here are the specific numbers of staff reductions:

• 284 professional positions
• 52 professional support positions
• 232 teaching positions are being eliminated for 2026-27
• 622 teachers' probationary contracts are not guaranteed contracts to return in 2026-27
• 230 non-certified teachers who are not guaranteed contracts for 2026-27
• A reduction of 8.4% from the current teaching staff (2,760)
• 76 classroom aides, including 34 kindergarten aides and 42 elementary bilingual aides.
• 15 central office or district-level support positions (2026-2027)
• 13 central office or district-level jobs (2025-2026)
• 76 classroom aides, including 34 kindergarten aides and 42 elementary bilingual aides.
• 14.5 campus clerical positions will be eliminated.