MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Midway Independent School District will eliminate one elective for middle school students starting in the 2026-2027 school year, but students will gain a high school credit in return as part of broader cost-saving measures.
The changes are designed to save the district thousands of dollars while providing educational benefits to students. District officials say the eliminated elective will be replaced with coursework that counts toward high school graduation requirements.
- Schedule Change: District moves middle schoolers from an eight-period to a seven-period school day, adding six minutes per class and providing students 20 additional hours of learning annually
- Program Adjustments: Seventh-graders lose one elective but gain a state-mandated course counting as high school credit; AVID program was eliminated as a cost-saving measure
- Financial Impact: Changes help address the $3.5 million budget deficit while the district expects to receive over $300,000 from the state for Career and Technical Education courses
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Midway Independent School District is implementing several changes to address a $3.5 million budget deficit within its maintenance and operations budget, including schedule modifications and program adjustments aimed at improving student outcomes while reducing costs.
The district is transitioning middle schoolers from an eight-period to a seven-period school day, adding six minutes to each class. This change will provide students with an additional 20 hours of learning throughout the year, according to district officials.
"We've been talking about the lack of state funding for years. We talked about it all throughout the course of this spring, and so we just need to make some adjustments that can help us out," Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen said.
Seventh-grade students will lose one elective but will gain a state-mandated course that counts as high school credit. District officials say this trade-off allows students to maintain their other elective options.
"We're giving up something at the district level by way of a local requirement so that they can keep their electives," Dr. Allen said.
Dr. Chris Allen noted the schedule change will benefit middle school teachers by improving their work quality to match conditions at the high school level.
"It'll lift some of that burden from our middle school teachers in a way that we think will give them a quality of work that's more like what they have at the high school," Allen said.
The district plans to eliminate its AVID program as a cost-saving measure. However, Midway ISD expects to receive more than $300,000 from the state for Career and Technical Education courses, increasing the district's revenue.
"We're not gaining a million dollars, but you're gonna see a million dollars of benefit to that deficit that we're running," the representative said.
You can view the full breakdown and presentation here.
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