LEWISVILLE, Texas — Parents and students gathered in Flower Mound Tuesday night for the first of five feedback meetings hosted by Lewisville ISD as board members consider closing and consolidating five elementary schools to save on annual operational costs.
The move would save the district roughly $2.3 million annually as it receives less funding from the state for stagnant or declining enrollment.
The schools up for retirement are Polster Elementary STEM Academy, B.B. Owen Elementary, Garden Ridge Elementary, Creekside Elementary, and Highland Village Elementary.
The meeting Tuesday night was at Flower Mound High School, which is what Garden Ridge Elementary feeds into. Parents and students there showed up to express concern about the consolidation of their school and the redrawing of attendance boundaries.
The lack of funding isn't an issue exclusive to Lewisville ISD. Several districts in North Texas are facing the same problems and have had to consider or implement school closings and consolidations to save on cash.
Lewisville ISD's final proposal regarding closing the five schools mentioned above can be found here. Board members expect to make a final decision on the proposal by December. If approved, it will affect the upcoming school year.
Before the meeting, parents and students gathered outside Polser Elementary STEM Academy in Carrollton to campaign for their school to remain open.
Polser is a recognized campus with some of the highest 3rd-grade reading scores in the district and is incredibly diverse. It has an A in accountability measures with four out of six distinctions.
Parent Robyn Morton told WFAA that Polser is a model for other schools to follow in LISD and shouldn't be closed down.
"There should be more of us in LISD, not less of us," Morton said.
Other parents gathered with Morton fear that board members will go with the district's research and proposal, which has endured months of scrutiny and review, and should at least wait until the upcoming 89th Texas Legislature is over before closing schools.
The last legislature didn't increase basic allotment figures or per-student funding for districts in the previous session, and inflation from the pandemic hasn't improved since lawmakers last met. The last time per-student funding was increased was in 2019.
"We're just all doing our best to try and get the attention of the people that can prevent this from happening," Liz Jumper, a parent with a 2nd-grade daughter at Polser, said.
"The timing of all of this feels rushed," fellow parent Amber Clark said, who has two students at Polser.
Elaine Baca told WFAA that her kindergartner's speech impediment has greatly improved since coming to Polser. She is worried that her improvement will not continue if she is sent to another school.
"Our children are thriving, and families like us choose to send them to this school," Baca said.
Polser's feedback meeting is next week as so many voices in Lewisville ISD fight to be heard.