On Dec. 9, 2024 the current LISD School Board voted to close 5 elementary schools & in all but one instance the vote was unanimous. In general the schools closed had high academic ratings, high teacher retention rates, and high parent/student satisfaction. One school was in the middle of renovations - those renovations continued to take place even after the vote. The taxpayers were handed the obligation of school bond debt, and part of that money is going to renovating a school that will be closed in a few months and either sold, leased, repurposed, or left empty. That doesn’t make long-term financial sense and is a prime example of poor stewardship of public funds.
The stated reason for the closures was budget constraints and declining enrollment. However, these closures do not balance the budget, and schools with stable or increasing projected enrollment were chosen to close (as were schools with waitlists for students to transfer into LISD). As north Texas, and Denton county specifically, is growing, LISD should be looking in the long term and finding ways to generate more income and attract new students, not enacting rash, short-term measures that ultimately leave the district in a worse place than where in started.
It’s also important to note that the ‘24 - ‘25 LISD budget deficit of $4.5 million (0.8% of the annual budget) is 74% - 88% LESS than some surrounding ISDs, yet those same surrounding districts are closing FEWER schools and saving MORE money by closing them. Closing the 5 selected elementary schools in LISD will save less than $3 million/year - leaving the district with at least a $1.5 million annual deficit. This is also happening while the district holds over $130 million in unallocated general funds. The governor has stated that education funds will increase and there are multiple bills in the state legislature to raise the basic allotment - why did the decision to close schools need to happen in a process that took only a few months and takes effect at the conclusion of this school year when it’s entirely possible that any existing budget issues will be solved by the end of this legislative session?
The board explicitly, and repeatedly, stated that things such as student safety, academics, performance, teacher retention, parent/student satisfaction were NOT considered when evaluating which schools to close. Class size, teacher retention, child development, academic success – they are all negatively impacted by closing schools and not one of these factors was taken into consideration when determining if schools should close or which specific schools should be selected to close.
All of the information above was directly pointed out by the LISD community in public comment periods. The board knew these issues, were presented alternative solutions, and voted with no apparent consideration of this information. The decision to close schools, and especially the schools that were chosen, does not make rational, financial, or practical sense.
