Parents pack first community meeting discussing Fort Worth ISD school closures
Parents pack 1st Fort Worth ISD community meeting
This meeting was the first chance for families and parents to hear directly from the district on its goals for the next 5, 10 and even 15 years.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth ISD leaders sought to ease the fears of parents as the district weighs closing and repurposing schools as enrollment declines.
The district hosted the first in a series of community meetings Monday night.
This meeting was the first chance for families and parents to hear directly from the district about its goals for the next 5, 10 and even 15 years.
What we know:
The cafeteria at O.D. Wyatt High School was packed with parents, families administrators and teachers eager to see the options.
A representative from the consulting firm, HPM, which is assisting the district with the 10-year master facilities plan presented options for each feeder pattern in the eastern region of the district.
Each one included unfunded options and options that would require funding with a future bond program.
Every feeder pattern would have boundary changes as the district aims to achieve 500 to 750 students per elementary school, which includes closing some schools and consolidating with others.
"An ideal merge, if there was such a thing as an ideal merge, would be to take the entire student population and move them together," said Tracy Richter with the consulting firm. "That way, the communities stay together, and the families stay together."
The presentation also outlined the district’s declining enrollment.
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In the last five years, enrollment has declined by more than 12,700 students, and it’s expected to continue to decline by 6,556 students in the next five years.
Part of that is due to the declining birth rate.
What they're saying:
Charde Davis’ daughter is in pre-k. Monday’s presentation would be a glimpse of her daughter’s progression in Fort Worth ISD.
"My outcome is really to get more information on what exactly is happening at Bill J. Elliott and Fort Worth ISD," said Davis. "As long as she continues to grow and be successful and teachers give her what she needs, I’m hoping that continues for years down the line."
One recurring theme from parents was the concern of losing neighborhood schools.
"We recognize the value that you place in your neighborhood school," said Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kellie Spencer. "And we recognize how important that is for people who live in walking distance, specifically families who don’t have transportation."
Some parents walked away feeling positive about the future of the district.
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"It looks promising in the fact that they are considering multiple factors, the quality of the schools, the education rating, the transportation," said parent Cia Mitchell. "More than just statistics; they’re also looking at the community."
What's next:
There are three other community meetings happening in the next week.
District officials reiterated no changes are happening next year unless they’ve already been approved by the school board.
The changes would happen gradually over the next two to five years.
The hope is to bring recommendations for the 10-year master facilities plan to the school board later this year, but that could change.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Fort Worth ISD, parents and previous FOX 4 coverage.