In an effort to save money, the Edcouch-Elsa school board voted to cut the number of coaches while keeping them as district employees.

The move would mean certain teachers would no longer get a coaching stipend.

School board trustees voted on the measure during the same Wednesday school board meeting where they approved a consolidation plan to close PFC David Ybarra Middle School.

READ MORE: Edcouch-Elsa ISD middle school campus to close as part of consolidation plan

The district says the impacted coaches will keep their primary role as a teacher, but will lose the opportunity to coach a team. 

The reduction in the amount of coaching stipends provided will help save the district $500,000 a year, the district said.

“This is another cost saving measure because our enrollment has gone down and the number of students in our athletic programs have also gone down,” Edcouch-Elsa Superintendent Alda Benavides said. “Therefore, we need to match the number of coaches with the number of students.”

Channel 5 News asked the district how many teachers would lose their coaching stipend, but the district has yet to respond.