Thirty-three classrooms across Hays CISD will operate above the district's normal student-to-teacher ratio after the school board unanimously approved class-size exceptions at its Oct. 26 meeting in Kyle. The vote covers pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade classrooms that exceed a 24-to-1 ratio, a limit the board itself had already raised once this year from the standard 22-to-1.
District administrator Christina Courson requested the exceptions, telling trustees the crowding traces directly back to earlier staffing reductions, according to Hays Free Press. “We had to cut a certain number of positions and that resulted in the increase of class sizes in our elementary schools and even in our secondary campuses,” Courson said. The item passed after trustee Byron Severance moved to approve it, and the outlet reported the vote was unanimous.
Desks, Interns and a Tight Labor Market
With formal ratios loosened, individual campuses have improvised their own fixes. One classroom at Negley Elementary School is using older, smaller desks simply to free up floor space, while Kyle Elementary School has leaned on Texas State University interns to pull students into small groups, per the same report. Courson said she tried to replicate that model elsewhere by requesting more university interns, but none were available, and the district has since notified Texas State of its interest in additional residents down the line.
Hays CISD does have six teacher residents in place under a memorandum of understanding with Texas State University, with the district paying $20,000 per resident. Ginger Blanchon described the arrangement as a teacher residency program that lets candidates still completing certification work alongside an experienced classroom educator, the article notes. Courson added that the Texas Education Agency now reimburses the district $10,000 for each resident, and the district plans to pursue similar partnerships with other colleges.
A Pilot Program Still Taking Shape
Beyond the university partnerships, the district floated a pilot support program for 17 classrooms that principals flagged as in “dire need” of another adult in the room. The plan calls for long-term temporary substitute paraprofessionals, with 135 days budgeted for the support and staff checking in with principals on a month-to-month basis, according to the same report.
Courson told the board the district would stay in close contact with campuses and keep working toward solutions. Trustee Courtney Runkle pushed for faster communication with teachers themselves, noting the school year was still only in its first nine weeks. The board's next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 16.
The Budget Crunch Behind the Classroom Math
The exceptions follow a bruising budget year for the district. In March, Hays CISD planned to cut 125 positions and trim its budget by $12.3 million from a nearly $240 million total, as the Austin American-Statesman reported at the time. That same reporting found district enrollment had jumped 20% since 2020, climbing from 20,274 to 24,237 students, even as the budget shrank.
The board ultimately approved $12.5 million in cuts for the 2026-27 school year on March 30, a reduction KUT reported was the district's largest since 2011, according to Hays CISD communications chief Tim Savoy. KUT attributed the squeeze in part to the state legislature's modest funding bump, a $55 increase to the per-student allotment that amounted to less than a 1% rise over prior years. The cuts also included educator layoffs, among them seven librarians, along with reductions to some fine arts programs and degree stipends, the station reported. Under the district's 2026-27 plan, ratios were set to climb to 24 students per teacher in pre-K through fourth grade, 27 in fifth grade, and 30 across grades six through 12.
Not the Only District Seeking Relief
Hays CISD isn't alone in asking the state for breathing room on class sizes. Frisco ISD sought its own waiver for elementary classrooms exceeding the standard 22-student ratio, with its board approving the request at a Sept. 21 meeting, according to Community Impact. Under Texas Education Agency guidance, districts statewide must formally request an exception for any pre-K-through-fourth-grade classroom that tops that 22-student cap.
