ALLEN, Texas — The Allen ISD Board of Trustees voted late Monday night to approve a controversial redistricting plan, which will close two schools and force young students all across the district to transfer to new campuses in the fall.
District staff has said for weeks that the West side of Allen ISD is booming, and as a result schools are over enrolled. The East side, though, is seriously under enrolled, causing the district to lose out on millions of dollars.
The district says uneven enrollment is also making it hard to retain staff.
The now-approved plan will shutter Anderson and Rountree elementary schools. Anderson's campus will convert to a full-day pre-kindergarten for eligible four-year-olds, which is mandated by new state requirements.
The district will repurpose Rountree Elementary for future non-instructional programming needs.
Dozens of angry parents and students begged the board not to approve the plan ahead of its vote. They argued shipping young kids off to completely new schools would harm students' mental health and academic progress, disproportionately impact low-income students, and create safety concerns.
They also voiced concerns over potential impacts of property values on homes near the newly closed schools.
Despite their pleas, about 3 hours into the meeting, the board voted in favor of the proposal.
Then, in a tense and unexpected moment, Vatsa Ramanathan, the only board member to vote against the proposal, resigned on the spot and stormed out of the meeting.
"We have always been told to go to the community and get their feedback," he told reporters moments after he resigned.
"If the people's input is not given any value..." he said, before cutting himself to remove his Allen ISD name tag.
"I'm no longer in the school board, so..."
The changes go into effect for the 2023 school year.
District staff said some students, like fifth graders who will be in sixth grade next year, can request to stay at their original campus if they do not attend one of the two elementary schools shutting down.