Education
BY PARKS KUGLE
Education Edition
2025
Readers, welcome to your annual CI Education Edition. In this edition, our lead story covers how the increase in school choice and other changes in the education landscape have a ected enrollment and budgets in both Northside ISD and North East ISD. We also share a nonpro t feature on Communities in Schools of San Antonio that recently celebrated their 40-year anniversary. Check out the CI Foodie on page 20 and try a new dining establishment around the San Antonio area. They love the local support!
Learn more about local education trends in this special guide. From budget constraints to enrollment decline, this guide takes a closer look at some of the challenges local districts are facing as they begin the 2025-26 school year. This edition also features a story on Community in Schools of San Antonio, which o ers support and resources to students in districts across the region.
Sierra Martin Managing Editor smartin@ communityimpact.com
Heather Demere San Antonio Market President hdemere@ communityimpact.com
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Balancing budgets, competition: local districts look ahead standardized testing and accountability in alterna- tive education options; and the potential impact of the upcoming educational savings accounts. Looking ahead
As the 2025-26 school year begins, both John Craft, superintendent of Northside ISD, or NISD, and Sean Maika, superintendent of North East ISD, or NEISD, are optimistic about their districts’ trajectories. To become nancially stable, Craft said NISD has made notable changes to its nancial management. “[NISD] is on a trajectory now, nancially, that I think we can de nitely live within our means, and we’ve had to reset our budget,” Craft said. To thrive in a changing environment, Maika said NEISD is constantly evaluating and adjusting its approach towards the district’s goals. The outlook Both superintendents expressed concerns about a number of emerging trends that are unique to this era. This includes changing demographics, such as smaller families and fewer people having children; increasing competition from charter schools and other alternative education options; a lack of
“A strong education system is truly the foundation for which our future resides.” JOHN CRAFT, SUPERINTENDENT OF NORTHSIDE ISD
For the upcoming school year, Maika seeks to take a pragmatic, business-like approach towards the educational landscape. “Things are changing and evolving so quickly,” Maika said. Craft said that NISD faced the same in ationary pressures as households and businesses have over the last few years, forcing them to adopt de cit budgets, which occur when a district spends more than it accrues in revenue. To combat this, the district took a di erent approach to its upcoming budget. “NISD went through a process called zero-based budgeting across all of our departments ... That’s part of the hard work that garnered us around $10 million in savings,” Craft said.
“Public education really allows kids to nd their unique path ... to really nd what they’re good at and to excel.” SEAN MAIKA, SUPERINTENDENT OF NORTH EAST ISD
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NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION
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