四虎影院

This school year will be the last for some schools in Plano.

The Plano ISD school board trustees voted unanimously to close two elementary schools, Davis and Forman, and two middle schools, Armstrong and Carpenter, for the 2025-2026 school year. The board also approved a resolution amending the district鈥檚 transfer policy to allow students at the campuses slated to close to transfer for the 2024-2025 school year. Employees at the four campuses will also have the option to transfer to another school.

Plano ISD Superintendent Dr. Theresa Williams said the decision to close schools was a tough but necessary financial decision. 鈥淭his is the hardest work that I鈥檝e been asked to do,鈥� Williams said.

Many in the audience walked out crying after the vote.

The school board appointed last year of more than 70 parents, staff, city employees and other community members to evaluate campuses for potential closure based on quality of facilities, building capacity and the district鈥檚 declining enrollment. The Long Range Facility Committee recommended closing the four campuses in May.

Projected annual savings is about $5.2 million.

The committee also recommended further study of the district鈥檚 western cluster for potential adjustments by December 2024.

Davis Elementary hosts the for 14 school districts, including Plano ISD. If Davis closes, 75% of the students would move to nearby Harrington Elementary, including all of the day students.

Shawnda Krajca鈥檚 daughter is a deaf student at Davis Elementary who relies on American Sign Language to communicate. Krajca said she鈥檚 concerned about her daughter being isolated at the new school. She said Davis Elementary has an inclusive culture where their classmates see them as peers.

鈥淣ow, they鈥檙e going to be known as the deaf kids,鈥� Krajca said.

Some of the hearing students from Davis Elementary would be rezoned to Harrington Elementary. But others would be sent to Saigling Elementary.

Sarah Wainscott is an associate professor at Texas Women鈥檚 University and teaches deaf education. Wainscott said it will be an adjustment for teachers at Harrington who haven鈥檛 worked with deaf and hard of hearing children. She said deaf and hard of hearing students each have different needs and ways of communicating 鈥� some use a hearing aid, some have cochlear implants and others have an ASL interpreter.

鈥�Having a teacher that knows those things intuitively based on experience is a game changer,鈥� Wainscott said.

Dylan M. Rafaty is the president and CEO of the He鈥檚 also a graduate of Plano West Senior High School. Rafaty, who uses a hearing aid and is deaf in his right ear and partially deaf in his left ear, said Davis has a supportive environment for its deaf and hard of hearing students. But he said he鈥檚 confident the district will do its best to ensure the program鈥檚 transition goes well for the students and families.

Rafaty said he encourages students who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families to continue advocating for themselves in the new environment.

鈥淐hange is part of growth, and I've learned that at a young age, and I was able to persevere,鈥� he said.

Unlike Davis Elementary, Forman Elementary students will be split between five schools: Dooley Elementary, Schell Elementary, Stinson Elementary, Memorial Elementary and Meadows Elementary.

Closing Forman will also result in students at other schools being rezoned. John Tedford, who鈥檚 on the Long Range Facility Planning Committee, said at the May 21 Plano ISD school board meeting that鈥檚 because of where Forman is located.

鈥淔orman is somewhere somewhat in the middle of the cluster,鈥� Tedford said. 鈥淭his results in several necessary adjustments to boundaries, what we call the ripple effects.鈥�

Harper Weaver, a data engineer and parent of a Forman Elementary student, analyzed the district鈥檚 data and shared with 四虎影院. He said the ripple effect Tedford referred to will impact or would have impacted about 20% of the students in the district鈥檚 eastern cluster. The new boundaries will lead or would have increased to increased travel times to school and require more bus routes according to Weaver鈥檚 report.

Tisha Amos, the president of Forman Elementary鈥檚 parent teacher association, said she鈥檒l have to drive her kids to their new school. Before, they could walk.

Amos said parents in her community felt blindsided when the district announced it might close Forman and Armstrong Middle School.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all just shocked, heartbroken, still in disbelief that two of our big schools in the heart of our community, are being closed,鈥� she said.

But Amos said she didn鈥檛 expect Forman to be selected closed because of it has more than 500 students.

Weaver said in his report that unlike the other three campuses, closing Forman goes against the committee's guiding principles that board set. He cites schools further east than Forman that have lower enrollment than Forman Elementary that the district could close that would have less of an impact on zoning.

The majority of Forman Elementary鈥檚 student population 鈥� about 61% 鈥� is Hispanic according to the school鈥檚 A large percentage of the student body are bilingual 鈥� about 56.7% according to TEA data. And 71.7% are economically disadvantaged.

鈥淪ome of these students will be removed from places where they have a community to places where a community just doesn't exist, or at least or is included in the same way,鈥� he said.

Weaver also shared a copy of his report with 四虎影院

Plano joins several other North Texas school districts, including Irving and Richardson ISD, that also closed campuses because of budget constraints.

"We understand that schools are more than just buildings," said Williams, the school superintendent. "They are communities."

But Plano ISD has had a budget deficit for years. The deficit for the district鈥檚 for the 2024-2025 school year is $37 million 鈥� up from $24 million the previous year.

Property values in Plano have gone up, which increased the district鈥檚 taxable revenue 鈥� but that doesn鈥檛 increase the district鈥檚 budget. Wealthy school districts like Plano ISD don鈥檛 get to keep all of their property tax revenue. Districts that collect more than that in property tax revenue than the state says they鈥檙e entitled to send the extra money to the state. The Texas Education Agency redistributes that extra money to poorer school districts. That system is known as recapture.

The state sets a basic amount of funding school districts get per student 鈥� it comes out to no more than $6,160. The basic allotment hasn鈥檛 been changed since 2019. A bill that would鈥檝e increased the basic allotment and teacher salaries died after Texas House members removing a school voucher program from the bill. Gov. Greg Abbott said he would veto any legislation that doesn鈥檛 include what he refers to as school choice.

"The cost of doing business today can't be done with 2019 dollars," Williams said.

Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.

Caroline Love is a corps member for 四虎影院.

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