Fort Worth ISD reduces number of schools on list for possible closure and consolidation
Fort Worth ISD is reducing the number of schools on its list of possible closures.
The district said it has to shut down several campuses to deal with a $17 million budget deficit and declining enrollment, and the options will continue to evolve throughout the process.
The original list, released last month, had up to 25 schools named for potential closure or consolidation. Since then, Fort Worth ISD has held several community meetings to gather feedback about the plan. The facilities task force, which is made up of parents, educators, and local leaders, has also spent time reviewing the options.
After more review of the data, the district decided to remove five schools from the list:
- Western Hills High School
- William Monnig Middle School
- W.C. Stripling Middle School
- Westcliff Elementary School
- Manual Jara Elementary School
"We were thrilled to get the news that Westcliff was taken off the list for consideration of consolidation – which we understand was based on further review of our strong enrollment, utilization capacity, and geographic restraints," said Christal Atkinson, the Westcliff Elementary PTA president. "We believe this was the right decision and our school community remains engaged as we continue to follow this process. We didn't believe that Westcliff's data aligned with the data of other schools on the list from Feb. 11, which further supports us coming off the list as quickly as we did - and we believe our community speaking out very timely and thoughtfully as quickly as we did, also helped get that point across."
More campuses could come off the list as the district moves through this process. The Fort Worth ISD superintendent previously told CBS News Texas it could take months to decide which schools will close and then years for the plan to be fully implemented.
The task force meets again on March 26.
