Carroll ISD Considers Open Enrollment

SOUTHLAKE (CBS 11 NEWS) - A popular North Texas school district may open its doors to students outside its boundaries, after years of demands from families who live on the edge of district boundaries.

When families move to Southlake, they're usually expecting to be part of the Carroll Independent School District, home of the Dragons, the long-running championship tradition.

Southlake resident Jeff Wachtler said a realtor told him his kids would be part of it—only to learn at the last minute—they would be required to go to a Keller school.

"We already had 75 percent down on the house at the time. There was absolutely no way to back out. Had I known, I would not have moved here," he said.

Wachtler and several other families have pushed Carroll to open its doors to all Southlake residents. The district estimates there are as many as 400 students who could be eligible.

With those students would come more state dollars, at a time when the district has been forced to look at cutting items from its budget.

"If we can pick up three hundred thousand dollars from additional students coming in our district without having to add a bunch of staff, and without having to cut a program for existing kids, we think that's valuable to look at," said CISD Superintendent Dr. David Faltys.

When Coppell ISD opened enrollment, just to elementary schools in 2011, 58 kids applied bringing with them about 400-thousand dollars to the district. This year, that number jumped to 121 students and 800-thousand dollars.

Families like Wachtler's said the money's great, but not as important as their kids being part of what everyone else in town is part of.

"How do you explain that although we live here, and we pay taxes here and we have the zip code of Southlake, we're basically living in Keller. It makes no sense at all."

The Carroll ISD school board still has to finalize the plan at a meeting later this month.