The Brownsville Independent School District consolidation plan was caused by some funding issues for the district.

They're just one of several school districts facing money issues heading into the new school year.

In total, the Brownsville ISD school board approved a budget of $561 million this year; that's $18 million less than last year.

Teachers say the decision to close down some schools means they will have more students in their classroom.

They say this can add unwanted stress.

"Teachers are working a whole lot more with a lot less staff and as a special education teacher we have a lot more duties and not just special education teachers, but all teachers," Castaneda Elementary School Special Education Teacher Esmeralda Garcia Barajas said.

District officials say the money concerns also forced them to get rid of some job positions, but they gave staff the option to move to another job within the district.

"We have made sure that we are not letting go of absolutely anybody, but we made a lot of changes that were necessary for us to operate," Brownsville ISD School Board Vice President Daniella Lopez Valdez said.

Despite the money concerns for the district, the school board did approve a two percent raise for all employees.