It’s official. Plano ISD will close 4 schools in 2025.
PLANO, Texas - Plano school board members approved the plan to close four schools.
Plano ISD said that by closing two elementary schools and two middle schools, it will save about $5 million in operating costs per year.
The impacted schools are Davis and Forman elementary schools and Carpenter and Armstrong middle schools.
The board of trustees voted unanimously to close them down at the start of the 2025 school year.
When it comes to school zones, the district has already drawn up elementary school and middle school maps to help the impacted families determine which school to attend.
Specialized programs at the closing schools such as the Elementary Regional Day School Program for the Deaf at Davis are being relocated.
Plano ISD said no one on staff will lose their job because of the closures.
But at Monday night’s meeting, one Forman employee said her school is her home and the closure will impact the community more than anything else.
Plano ISD school closure plan concerns parents of deaf students
Parents say closing Davis Elementary School would rip apart the deaf and hearing culture that staff has carefully knit together over the course of decades.
"My question here is are we not a part of PISD? And if we are, we certainly don’t feel like we are. Or maybe we were just built on the wrong side of 75," said Mrs. Francisco. "Actions speak louder than words and these actions are impacting a community, a community of immigrant parents who don’t know how to read much less write to reply to your emails. It’s a community of parents who say yes they do not have an education themselves but they walk to and from school in the rain, heat and snow just to guarantee their children have more learning opportunities than themselves."
Even though it was an emotional vote for some, trustees said declining enrollment was the reason for the closures. Some of the schools in Plano’s central and eastern sectors are half-empty.
It’s something other North Texas school districts like Irving and Richardson ISDs have also had to deal with.
Moving forward, Plano ISD said it will contact community and staff members with information on the changes and the next steps.