Frisco ISD to get second opinion on middle school closure

FRISCO - Frisco ISD stopped short of closing an old campus the district says has fallen under disrepair and is too expensive to fix. Trustees say they are still dealing with a budget shortfall.

Frisco ISD budget concerns

What we know:

The Frisco ISD school board had a budget workshop before the board meeting on Monday night, where it was shared that, despite some cuts that have already been made, the district is still facing a $5 million budget deficit. 

To balance the budget, more cuts will have to be made. One of the options is to close Staley Middle School and re-zone those students to several other schools. The district is considering closing the school due to its poor condition and expensive upkeep costs. 

The board took time to discuss the options on the table. 

Some board members supported the option to keep Staley Middle School open until the end of the 2025-26 school year.

Other board members acknowledged the emotional side of the decision but shared that budget cuts must be made. 

What we don't know:

There was no discussion on a potential timeline for a decision to be made after receiving the second opinion. It’s still unclear when the board will take action on closing Staley. 

What they're saying:

Like many school closure discussions, the topic was emotional for people as they urged the board to keep the community school open. 

"Staley is not a school that is failing or they are not struggling. They don't have abysmal testing scores or staff retention issues. I implore you to please vote no action," said Frisco resident, Christina Wolfe. 

What's next:

Ultimately, there were two motions made tonight, the first to close Staley Middle School at the end of this school year and that motion failed. 

The second was to hire a new demographer to give a second opinion to the board in June. That motion passed.