Coppell ISD faces budget deficit, proposes school closure
COPPELL — Coppell ISD expected a full house for a town hall Wednesday night on a proposal to close one elementary school and move several academic programs to others. The proposal is facing resistance from students and parents who shared their concerns at the town hall meeting.
The district is facing a multi-million-dollar budget deficit, similar to many other districts across North Texas. The CISD Board of Trustees is considering closing Pinkerton Elementary and sending its students to either Austin or Wilson Elementary.
"My kids would be absolutely devastated," said Julie Waters, who has three students at Pinkerton. "Education is the most important thing that we can give our children, and so now is the time more than ever, to speak up on behalf of your school."
Waters is worried about how the proposed plan would impact her children, but she is more concerned about the bigger picture. Consolidating the elementary schools would mean moving Wilson's current dual language immersion program to Denton Creek Elementary School, which is almost three miles away.
"If our kids come to Wilson, those kids would be displaced," Waters said. "They would have to get on a bus and drive halfway across town to continue their Spanish-speaking program."
Both Pinkerton and Wilson families are worried about the ramifications.
"These kids should not be divided from their peers in their neighborhoods simply because they are Spanish speakers," said Jennifer Dawson Martinez, the mother of two students at Wilson Elementary School. "And you should really engage us more to understand how this is going to hurt us and how it could become very detrimental."
Martinez believes the decision will have a disproportionately negative impact on families whose second language is English, especially those who live in a mobile home community directly across from Wilson.
"I went door-knocking in this neighborhood," Waters said. "A lot of them weren't even aware of the school closure issue at all. So they have had no voice in this process. And to ask a very vulnerable population to have to get on a bus and be bused across town while you send more affluent kids into their school just doesn't sit right with me as a parent."
They say the transportation challenges alone would be insurmountable for some students.
"We have to make sure that educational access is available for all kids, regardless of what their family's income is, regardless of the type of house they live in, regardless of any of that," said Martinez.
The district anticipates reaching a budget deficit of $6.8 million for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Demographic projections post-pandemic indicate a decline in enrollment, particularly at the elementary level, according to Coppell ISD.
The district says this consolidation plan would help address those issues, ultimately saving the district around $2 million. If CISD closes Pinkerton, the property could be repurposed for other district use or sold. According to a district presentation on the plans, the site could be worth up to $8 million.
"At my old school, I struggled every day with my classwork and with making friends. I did not like school and most of my days were bad," said 9-year-old Siarra Woodard. "At Pinkerton, the staff teaches my subjects to me in ways that I can understand that I am improving."
"Kids like my child and possibly other special-needs children thrive in routine structure and familiarity," said Heath Woodard. "Forcing them into a new school and a new routine is particularly stressing for them."
The board plans to decide the future of these elementary schools in less than two weeks, on Sept. 30.
Consolidate Pinkerton with Wilson and Austin
- Consolidate Pinkerton students into Wilson and Austin
- Move the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
- Move Dual Language Immersion (DLI) and BIL (Bilingual) Pre-K program
- Level Pre-K enrollment districtwide
- Adjust Denton Creek Elementary attendance zones to Town Center, Cottonwood Creek and Lakeside based on enrollment
- Net Cost Savings — $2.1 million
Consolidation of Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program
- Consolidate DLI into one campus for efficiency
- Net Cost Savings — $288,000
Leveling Pre-K
- Leveling Pre-K — Efficiency in class sizes, neighborhood schools for students
- Level Pre-K enrollment districtwide
If the plan is approved, it won't be implemented until the 2025-2026 school year.
