Failure of VATRE, basic allotment to public schools results in MFISD coaching staff changes

CAPTION: New offensive coordinator Logan Simmons (back) accepted the job a few weeks ago. He has been attending the Burnet 7 on 7 May League and getting to the know the Mustangs including rising senior quarterback Atreyu Machacek. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

When Marble Falls Independent School District voters said no to the November 2024 bond that would have increased tax rates to benefit MFISD employees, Dr. Jeff Gasaway, MFISD superintendent, said administrators would be forced to make some tough decisions.

Now that the school year has ended, some of those decisions are known. And some affect the athletic department.

Top of the list is that just about every sport with the exception of football will be limited to three coaches per program.

“This decision is directly tied to the financial pressures our district is facing, specifically the failure of the VATRE (voter approval tax rate elections) and the fact that the Texas Legislature has not increased the Basic Allotment for public schools since 2019,” Gasaway said. “As part of a broader district-wide effort to adjust staffing levels, high school coaches will take on additional academic class periods.”

In an effort to make that part happen, the athletic department will return to having one athletic period for the boys and one athletic period for the girls.

Like those who take on extracurricular duties, coaches are paid stipends. Gasaway said that while limiting coaching staff “does result in some stipend savings,” it isn’t the primary reason for the changes.

During the 2024-25 school year, approximately $300,000 was allocated for athletic stipends across both middle and high school programs, he said. The anticipated savings from reducing coaching stipends is about $17,000, he added.

“What’s more impactful — but harder to quantify — is how consolidating athletic periods has enabled our team to create a master schedule with significantly fewer teaching positions,” he said. “The budget reductions and scheduling changes go hand-in-hand in helping us maintain high academic standards despite decreased funding.”

Football, which has the most on-field positions, will have 13 coaches for the 2025 season.

“The program serves around 155 student-athletes and includes multiple teams playing at different locations,” Gasaway said. “Football traditionally requires more coaches due to both the number of student participants and the complexity of position-specific coaching required on both offense and defense.”

The other parts of the Friday night lights are the band, cheerleaders and Starlettes dance team.

The Mustang band will continue to have five directors.

The cheerleaders will remain under the direction of two sponsors “each of whom teaches a full academic schedule in addition to leading the cheer program,” the superintendent said.

The Starlettes will have one sponsor, “who teaches the Starlettes class plus a full academic load,” he added.

In addition, the Marble Falls Middle School coaching staff will not have changes.

“Marble Falls Middle School will continue with 12 coaches — six for boys athletics and six for girls,” Gasaway said. “Every coach also maintains a full teaching schedule alongside their athletic responsibilities. In addition, several of our middle school coaches assist with high school athletics as well, ensuring continuity and support across campuses.”

The same number of athletic trainers — two — will remain the same. At the end of the 2023-24 school year, Charlie “Doc” Harrington, who was the athletic coordinator for sports medicine and middle school athletics, retired and the district didn’t hire another trainer.

“This change was part of the initial adjustments we made as we entered the summer of 2024 with a deficit budget,” Gasaway said. “That move brought us in line with most (Class) 4A districts in our region. For the 2025–2026 school year, we do not anticipate any further reductions. However, trainers will assume additional teaching responsibilities as part of the district-wide effort to align staffing with funding realities.”

He noted there are some benefits to having one athletic period for the Mustangs and one for the Lady Mustangs.

“Many of our varsity programs already share athletes, and this model reduces the frequent mid-year schedule changes for students transitioning between sports,” the superintendent said. “Ultimately, this structure also allows us to reassign staff to academic periods, easing the impact of reducing 13 teaching positions at the high school.”

Gasaway noted district officials did the best they could to ensure the educational needs of Marble Falls ISD students continues to be met while also preparing them to compete at the highest level, no matter their extracurricular activity.

“These adjustments are never easy and are made only after careful consideration,” he said. “Our top priority remains the academic and extracurricular success of our students. We are committed to maintaining high-quality experiences — both in the classroom and through our athletics and fine arts programs — despite financial constraints. These staffing shifts are a reflection of our commitment to our students and our resolve to adapt in challenging times.”

CAPTION: Austin Silva is the Mustang football team’s special teams coordinator and the track and field head coach. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro