COPPELL, Texas — The Coppell ISD Board of Trustees heard six plans to consolidate schools and save money amid budget challenges and declining enrollment.
The board met Monday, Sept. 9 for a budget workshop to discuss five possible plans to consolidate schools, according to a message sent to Coppell ISD families from Superintendent Brad Hunt. The options were based on a facility evaluation tool produced by parents, community members and staff members, according to the message.
"Our district is facing budget challenges due to inflation, which has exceeded 20% since 2019, and projections that show declining enrollment, particularly at the elementary level," Hunt said. "Additionally, our funding is directly impacted by lower attendance rates, which is a concern we are actively working to address."
The board will meet two more times, on the 16 and 18, before making a final decision on the budget Sept. 30.
The board is considering:
- Consolidating Austin Elementary with Town Center, Wilson, Pinkerton and Lakeside Elementaries. This option would save the district $2.26 million
- Consolidate Pinkerton Elementary with Wilson and Austin Elementaries. This option would mean the International Baccalaureate Program to Wilson and Dual Language Immersion and Bilingual Pre-K program to Denton Creek Elementary. This change would affect Denton Creek Elementary attendance zones and save the district $2.1 million
- Consolidate New Tech with the Coppell High School 9th grade campus. This would save $2.1 million
- Consolidate the Dual Language Immersion program into one campus. This action would save the district $288,000.
- Leveling Pre-K to create efficiency in class sizes
"School consolidations are very tough and challenging conversations for our community and staff," Hunt said. "These discussions can bring out a lot of emotions and uncertainty. Our core values of redefining success, great teaching, authentic relationships, and collective engagement will continue to filter our discussions."