Coppell ISD school board votes to close Pinkerton Elementary School
COPPELL, Texas - Budget issues have prompted the Coppell Independent School District to close an elementary campus, despite dozens of parents trying to stop that from happening.
On Monday night, the Coppell ISD school board voted to close Pinkerton Elementary School for good.
Multiple board members acknowledged that there wasn’t an option that makes everybody happy, but they believed the decision couldn’t be tabled for another year.
Throughout September, the board held workshops and town halls to come up with viable options to deal with declining enrollment and a budget deficit.
In the end, the board voted to close Pinkerton and consolidate the baccalaureate program. No changes were made to the dual language immersion program.
With the school’s closing, the district will save approximately $2.1 million.
Board members emphasized that teachers and staff will not lose their jobs.
The situation in Coppell is similar to that of many other North Texas school districts facing tight budgets and declining enrollment, forcing some difficult decisions about shutting down schools.
The sentiment from parents is the same there and elsewhere, telling lawmakers and the governor to increase funding for Texas schools and come to some kind of agreement that would free up money to support public education.
Parents and students are among the protesters caught in the middle.
"We have a huge problem in Austin. Governor Abbott has to release the funding for public schools," Waters said. "Our public schools are dying because they are holding our taxpayer dollars hostage. This is really the time where parents across the state have to unite."
Bob Templeton with Zonda Education has forecasted demographics pertaining to education for many years.
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Coppell ISD considers closing 3 schools due to budget issues
Another North Texas school district is considering closing campuses due to budget challenges and declining enrollment.
"We have probably 10 school districts that we are looking at this kind of scenario," he said.
Templeton says the closing of schools, while carrying with it an emotional toll, will likely continue.
"It is emotional and challenging, and definitely it is hard. There’s no way to get around that change. For many school districts, the biggest way to with the deficit budget issue is through staffing or facilities. And so the closing of a school can generate significant savings in overhead cost," he said. "As for this next legislative session, we will likely see the expansion of a voucher option that’s going to expand the choice option more so. Therefore, I am very concerned about how this is going to play out for public education over the next five years."
The superintendent says parents will receive more information on what the new plans mean for their students.
The dual language program will be revisited at a later date.