Policy Proposal: Consolidating Texas School Districts into County-Based Systems

Executive Summary

Texas currently operates over 1,000 independent school districts (ISDs), creating significant administrative duplication and inefficiency. This proposal advocates for consolidating school districts into county-based educational systems, eliminating redundant administrative overhead while maintaining local input through county-level governance. This reform would reduce costs, improve resource allocation, and maintain educational quality across Texas’s 254 counties.

Problem Statement

Texas’s fragmented school district structure creates unnecessary costs and inefficiencies:

• Administrative Redundancy: Over 1,000 separate districts each maintain their own superintendent, business office, HR department, purchasing system, and administrative staff

• Economies of Scale: Small districts cannot negotiate favorable contracts or spread fixed costs across sufficient students

• Inequitable Resources: Wealthy districts maintain advantages while neighboring districts struggle with the same regional challenges

• Duplicated Infrastructure: Multiple districts in the same county maintain separate bus fleets, maintenance facilities, food service operations, and IT systems

• Inefficient Boundaries: District lines create artificial barriers that don’t align with natural community boundaries or county services

Proposed Solution

Consolidate all independent school districts within each of Texas’s 254 counties into unified County Education Systems, governed by elected County Education Boards.

Key Components

Governance Structure

• Replace individual district boards with County Education Boards (7-11 elected members representing geographic subdivisions within the county)

• County Education Superintendent appointed by the board, replacing dozens of separate district superintendents

• Retain campus-level principals and site-based decision making for instructional matters

• Establish community advisory councils for former district areas to maintain local voice

Administrative Consolidation

• Single county-level business office, HR department, and purchasing division

• Unified transportation system optimizing routes across county geography

• Consolidated food service, facilities maintenance, and technology infrastructure

• Centralized legal counsel and risk management

• Single payroll and benefits administration system

Preservation of Local Elements

• Campus-level control over instructional methods, curriculum implementation, and school culture

• Community input through advisory councils and public board meetings

• School names, mascots, and traditions retained

• Athletic programs maintained with appropriate classification adjustments

Implementation Timeline

• Year 1: Legislative authorization and planning grants to counties

• Year 2: County consolidation studies and transition planning

• Year 3: First wave of consolidations (rural counties, willing participants)

• Years 4-5: Phased implementation across remaining counties

• Year 6: Full implementation and efficiency assessment

Expected Benefits

Cost Savings

• Estimated 15-25% reduction in administrative costs through elimination of duplicate positions

• Improved purchasing power through county-level contract negotiations

• Reduced transportation costs through optimized routing across county boundaries

• Shared facilities reducing capital expenditure needs

• Conservative estimate: $2-4 billion annually across all Texas counties

Improved Services

• Better support services (counseling, special education, gifted programs) through economies of scale

• Enhanced technology infrastructure and support

• More competitive teacher salaries through administrative savings

• Expanded program offerings (AP courses, CTE programs, fine arts) available to all county students

• Professional development and instructional support improvements

Equity Improvements

• More equitable distribution of resources within counties

• Reduction in disparities between wealthy and poor districts in the same region

• Consistent educational opportunities regardless of zip code within a county

• Shared tax base reducing property tax variations within counties

Operational Efficiency

• Streamlined communication with a single county system instead of multiple districts

• Simplified coordination with other county services (health, social services, law enforcement)

• Better data systems and reporting

• Reduced regulatory compliance costs through consolidated reporting

Addressing Concerns

Concern: Loss of Local Control Response: Campus-level decision making remains with principals and teachers. Community advisory councils ensure local voice in board decisions. Counties are local governments, not state or federal entities.

Concern: Large Bureaucracy Response: County systems will have significantly fewer administrators than the combined current districts. Bureaucracy is reduced, not increased.

Concern: Loss of School Identity Response: School names, traditions, and cultures are preserved. Athletic programs continue. Consolidation is administrative, not cultural.

Concern: Urban County Complexity Response: Large urban counties like Harris, Dallas, or Bexar would have larger boards (11 members) with more geographic representation and robust advisory council systems.

Concern: Rural County Capacity Response: Smaller rural counties would benefit most from shared administrative expertise. State provides transition support and shared service options for the smallest counties.

Concern: Property Tax Implications Response: Consolidation creates opportunities for more equitable tax rates within counties and potential rate reductions through efficiency savings.

Implementation Considerations

Legislative Requirements

• Constitutional amendment may be required (subject to legal analysis)

• Enabling legislation establishing County Education Systems framework

• Transition funding appropriations

• Amendments to Education Code consolidating district-specific provisions

Transition Support

• State grants for consolidation planning and implementation

• Technical assistance teams from Texas Education Agency

• Best practices documentation from early adopter counties

• Employee transition protections and retraining programs

Special Situations

• Charter schools continue operating independently

• Special-purpose districts (juvenile justice, regional day schools) maintained

• Provisions for counties with unique geographic challenges (Brewster County, El Paso County)

• Options for voluntary multi-county collaborations in sparse regions

Stakeholder Engagement

• Superintendent association consultation

• Teacher organization input on employee protections

• Parent and community forums in each county

• Business community engagement on workforce development alignment

Financial Projections

Based on analysis of Texas’s 1,022 school districts serving approximately 5.4 million students:

Current Administrative Costs (estimated)

• 1,022 superintendents: $150-250M annually

• Duplicate business offices: $400-600M annually

• Separate HR systems: $200-300M annually

• Multiple transportation systems: $1.5-2B annually

• Fragmented purchasing: $500-800M in lost savings annually

Projected County System Costs

• 254 county superintendents: $40-60M annually

• County-level business operations: $150-250M annually

• Unified HR systems: $80-120M annually

• Coordinated transportation: $1.2-1.5B annually

• Consolidated purchasing: Additional $300-500M in savings

Net Annual Savings: $2.5-4 billion available for classroom instruction, teacher compensation, and facility improvements

Conclusion

Consolidating Texas school districts into county-based systems represents a fundamental reform that reduces waste, improves equity, and directs more resources to classrooms while preserving the local control that Texans value. This proposal maintains what works: dedicated educators, strong schools, and community involvement, while eliminating what doesn’t: bureaucratic duplication and administrative inefficiency.

Texas has 254 counties but over 1,000 school districts. That’s 768+ unnecessary administrative structures consuming resources that should support students and teachers. County consolidation is common sense reform that puts students first.

Prepared and researched by: Bob Trautman 11/05/2025