Fort Worth ISD identifies more than 20 campuses that could close due to falling enrollment
TARRANT COUNTY -- Fort Worth ISD is considering closing up to 25 schools to address a $17 million budget deficit, a move that has caught many parents by surprise.
The district, which serves about 75,000 students, could undergo significant changes that many families say caught them off guard.
"Obviously, we're not the only parents feeling this way," said Christal Atkinson, PTA president at Westcliff Elementary, one of the schools that could be closed. "We were completely blindsided. We know the district has tough decisions to make regarding school closures and budget cuts. We haven't been living under a rock. But we feel like Westcliff is a gem -- we're engaged, we're growing, we're thriving, and we didn't see it coming for us."
While the district's financial struggles have been known, many parents only learned about the potential closures just hours before Tuesday's school board meeting.
The Fort Worth ISD Board of Trustees heard a status update on its facilities master plan on Tuesday evening, which identified roughly two dozen schools that could be closed to meet the district's future needs.
At the meeting, consultants outlined their suggestions to save money by potentially closing between 14 to 21 elementary schools, up to three middle schools, and one high school. The plan also includes replacing or rebuilding six to eight elementary schools, up to three middle schools, and one high school.
"The directive isn't to close schools," said consultant Tracy Lichter. "The directive is to get the schools to the right programmatic number that makes sense for your area and to get money spent on students, not buildings."
The district says no final decisions have been made yet.
"This is going to show you...that no decisions have been made, no recommendations," said Interim Superintendent Dr. Karen Molinar. "This is showing you the work that has gone into a process that we committed to over a year ago."
The presentation was the first to name specific schools that could be subject to consolidation. It was the result of work by a task force made up of community members and HPM, a consulting firm that specializes in construction and facilities in various industries including K-12 education.
The presentation outlined options that the task force identified to align the amount of classroom space across the district to projected enrollment numbers.
Elementary schools comprised most of the up to 25 FWISD campuses that could potentially be closed. The district has 79 elementary schools but is projected to need anywhere from 51 to 60 schools to serve the number of enrolled students.
Tracy Richter, a vice president of planning services at HPM, said FWISD has a capacity for 48,000 elementary school students, but only 34,000 are enrolled.
For example, there are nine elementary schools in the Eastern Hills feeder pattern with a capacity of 5,933 children. In five years, the student population is projected to be 3,269, meaning just 55% of seats would be filled.
"There is an obvious disconnect between the right amount of infrastructure you have to serve your students," Richter said, arguing that consolidating schools would allow the district to take some of the money it currently spends on facilities and use it on students instead.
The presentation also identified campuses that could get renovations and other upgrades to accommodate students who would come from closed schools.
Still, with big changes potentially on the horizon, parents are feeling uneasy.
Atkinson said Westcliff Elementary is at full capacity and continues to grow, and she's struggling to understand why it's being considered for closure.
"Why?" she asked. "We're still wanting to know why we are listed there."
The district's budget task force has another meeting scheduled for Thursday, though it will not be open to the public. However, families are eagerly awaiting a round of community meetings expected later in February, where those impacted will be able to voice their concerns to district leadership.
