Abilene ISD continues to reduce staff with hopes of cutting $12.9 million from payroll

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene ISD is continuing to reduce staff with hopes of cutting $12.9 million in payroll expenses.

Dr. John Kuhn spoke on this issue during a school board workshop February 6, saying “my powers of persuasion have failed me thus far on convincing people that this is real, and I’m not just being a jerk. We have to fix our staffing.” 

It has been one of Dr. Kuhn’s missions since his hiring in April 2024 to balance the district’s budget, largely by ensuring staffing levels match enrollment.

Currently, Dr. Kuhn says he’s trying to tackle this issue the easy way by offering early notice of retirement incentives (46 employees have agreed to this thus far), implementing a hiring freeze, and closing two elementary schools.

If this doesn’t allow Dr. Kuhn to reach his goal of cutting the budget’s deficit in half, he’ll have to start cutting the payroll the hard way, by a Reduction in Force.

Dr. Kuhn says he doesn’t want to go this route, “because you are literally calling people in and saying, hey remember how you had a job, well you don’t have it anymore.”

Implementing a Reduction in Force would also require Abilene ISD to declare fiscal exigency, which would hurt their bond rating.

Dr. Kuhn hopes to cut at least $7 million of the needed $12.9 this school year, while figuring out the remainder next school year.