What happened: The Midland ISD Board of Trustees met Tuesday, Sept. 15, and heard that enrollment is 1,490 students below the district’s projection, a shortfall expected to require about $2.7 million in spending cuts and increase the district’s recapture payment to the state by about $10 million above what was budgeted.

The board also adopted the same property tax rate as last year, approved selling the Boneyard property to Midland College for $10.7 million, authorized board leadership to seek a meeting with Midland County over a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP), and extended Superintendent Stephanie Howard’s contract.

Key points:

  • Enrollment 1,490 students below projection: Howard said district enrollment is 1,490 students below the projection MISD used to build its 2026-27 budget. Because state school funding is tied partly to enrollment and attendance, the district expects the shortfall to require about $2.7 million in spending cuts.

The district also expects to send about $10 million more to the state through recapture than it budgeted. Howard said MISD will eliminate 15 district-level positions, with administration targeting already vacant positions to absorb some of the cuts. By December, the district also expects to consider potential campus closures and changes to elementary attendance boundaries.

Midland’s top stories. One quick email. Free, every Friday.
Get Midland Wrapped, our free weekly email for busy Midland residents. Each Friday, we break down the week’s most important local stories — what happened, why it matters, and what to watch next — so you can stay informed without the noise.
  • JJAEP standoff with Midland County: Trustees authorized the board president and superintendent to contact Midland County, the Juvenile Justice Board, and other interested parties to schedule a meeting about establishing a JJAEP.

A JJAEP is a state-authorized alternative education program for students removed from their regular schools for certain serious disciplinary offenses. MISD has been discussing creating one with Midland County for almost a year and threatened legal action in May if the county did not commit to opening one before the 2026-27 school year.

District staff said eight students were eligible for JJAEP placement as of the meeting, all for firearm offenses committed outside MISD, with another three awaiting hearings. Thirty students would have qualified last school year. MISD currently serves eligible students in its own disciplinary alternative education program or, when permitted, expels them.

Texas lawmakers created another option in 2025 that allows districts without access to a JJAEP to place certain expelled students in a virtual expulsion program. MISD previously told trustees it was waiting for state guidance before evaluating that option.

  • Tax rate unchanged: Trustees adopted the same property tax rate as last year. Despite the unchanged rate, the average Midland homeowner’s MISD tax bill is projected to fall by about $92 because taxable home values declined.
  • $10.7M Boneyard sale: Trustees unanimously authorized the sale of the roughly 26-acre property known as the Boneyard, at 200 W. Loop 250 N., to Midland College for $10.7 million, a price consistent with appraisals conducted in 2023 and 2024. MISD would retain all mineral rights.

MISD would lease the property back from Midland College at no charge and continue maintaining it until the new Lee High School is completed because the Boneyard currently provides softball and soccer fields for the campus. Board President Josh Guinn said Midland College has indicated it intends to use the property for career and technical education.

  • First academic benchmark: District administration presented beginning-of-year i-Ready reading and math results, giving trustees their first baseline for where students are starting the 2026-27 school year.

In reading, the percentage of students performing on grade level ranged from 15% in first grade to 40% in third grade. In math, rates ranged from 11% in kindergarten and first grade to 36% in sixth grade. Eighth-grade math, at 10%, was identified as an area to monitor.

The district attributed third-grade reading performance, at 40% on grade level, partly to its phonics program. Howard said those students were the first class to receive the program beginning in kindergarten.

Trustee Matt Friez asked for more information about students performing two or three grade levels behind. Administration said teachers provide families with student reports and discuss individual performance during parent conferences.

Howard also reiterated that MISD’s revised promotion policy requires students to maintain at least a 70 average in core classes. Campuses may recommend summer school when assessments show a student is below grade level, and summer-school attendance and performance may factor into promotion or retention decisions.

  • Teacher staffing improves: District administration reported MISD began the school year with 3,040 employees and 31 teacher vacancies, down from 202 vacancies at the end of May. The district reported a 97% teacher fill rate and 87% teacher retention rate. Seventy-four percent of teachers started the year certified, up from 70% last year, while 78% of core-subject teachers are certified.
  • Special education: Administration reported that all nine goals in MISD’s five-year special education strategic plan are currently on track. The district serves 3,652 students in special education, 618 students in its dyslexia program, and 965 students through Section 504 plans.
  • Superintendent evaluation: Trustees unanimously adopted the criteria for Howard’s 2026-27 next evaluation in September 2027. Half of the evaluation is tied to student outcomes, including reading and math growth, outcomes for special education and dyslexia students, state accountability ratings, the number of campuses earning A or B ratings, and college, career, or military readiness.