Richardson ISD approves consolidation plan closing 4 schools
RICHARDSON, Texas - Richardson ISD voted to move forward with a consolidation plan that will close some school campuses.
The district needs to make big budget cuts, and it will impact several elementary schools.
The superintendent says Richardson ISD lost 2,500 students during the pandemic and expects to lose another 3,000 in the coming years.
The board voted Thursday night on whether or not to change "attendance boundaries," which would be necessary to consolidate four of the five schools.
Richardson ISD parents and students gathered outside the administration building before the school board meeting Thursday evening holding signs in protest of the district's Project RightSize.
The controversial plan calls for the closing of four schools and the rezoning of others.
The district says it’s facing a $28 million budget deficit due to declining enrollment and a lack of state funding and that the changes would keep services and programs available to students.
The schools on the chopping block for next year are Greenwood Hills, Spring Valley, Springridge and Thurgood Marshall elementary schools.
One of the schools that would rezone some students is Dartmouth Elementary.
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Parents and students stormed out of the auditorium as the board approved the new plan. Some parents booed while others said they'll ‘remember this come November,’ meaning election time.
"Based on how they've rolled out this process thus far, it's definitely the outcome I anticipated," said parent Josh Dennison. "Because all along, they have failed to listen, failed to consider and they failed to act accordingly to the oath they take to office."
"It wasn't so much a decision but a rubber stamping of a bad plan that was poorly justified by the administration," said parent Sarah Pack.
There were a few parents who spoke out in favor of the district's plan, saying that while painful, they understand something has to be done to close the budget deficit.
The district says the closing of the schools would save the district roughly $11 million a year.