Parents from two schools earmarked for closure, Highland Village and Garden Ridge elementary schools, have started petitions to keep the campuses open. As of Oct. 29, both petitions had over 1,700 signatures.
Losing the community aspect of the neighborhood schools is a concern, said Olga Reed, a Highland Village Elementary parent. The family bought their home so her children could walk to school. Reed hopes the petition encourages district officials to consider other options.
“I wasn’t going to go quietly into the night,” Reed said. “I wanted them to hear us.”
The big picture
LISD trustees reviewed initial results from a districtwide facilities evaluation aimed at rightsizing surplus buildings with declining student enrollment during an Oct. 7 workshop. The board resumed the conversation Oct. 21.
In May, district leaders convened the Community Efficiency Committee, which was made up of 30 staff, parents and community members. The group met six times since May to analyze campus’s optimal capacity compared to the district’s forecasted enrollment.
The committee identified 20 campuses for further review that could lead to boundary adjustments or, in some cases, facility closures, Superintendent Lori Rapp said. The list of schools that may be closed was reduced from 10 to five, while the number of schools that could have boundary adjustments reduced from 10 to eight.
Put in perspective
LISD currently has around 48,000 students enrolled.
The district predicts an enrollment decrease of about 1,300 students going into the 2024-25 school year and anticipates a continued decline until enrollment levels out around 45,000 students in the next decade, Rapp said in an email. This is primarily attributed to lower birth rates and a high average home price in LISD at $492,716. The efficiency committee found a number of LISD schools are operating below capacity or optimal enrollment levels, according to the meeting presentation.
For example, B.B. Owen Elementary School, which is one of the schools being considered for closure, has an optimal enrollment of 653 students but an enrollment of about 250 in the 2024-25 school year. This is expected to stay around 245 students in the 2027-28 school year—about 37% of its capacity level—according to forecasted enrollment numbers.
Diving in deeper
Inflation has increased the cost of trash pickup, water and gas usage, insurance and other district expenses, impacting LISD’s budget.
Over the past four years, the price of electricity for the district has increased by $3.4 million—a 61% increase. Property and casualty insurance has increased by 113% and water usage has increased by 39%, according to district documents.
Statewide school funding would need to increase by around $1,400 per student to provide LISD the same buying power they had in 2019, according to district documents.
LISD plans to advocate for more funding for public schools as its costs are not being met amid rising inflation, Superintendent Lori Rapp said in an email.
“This funding is critical to making sure we can continue to provide the quality education our students deserve,” Rapp said.
A closer look
The Lewisville ISD board in August approved the FY 2024-25 general fund budget, which included a $4.5 million shortfall.
“There is no doubt that in 21 years in the central office that this is one of the hardest budgets I have ever been a part of working on,” Rapp said at the August meeting.
Further efforts—such as reductions in central office staff, lowering substitute fill rates and decreasing insurance premiums—were made to reduce the shortfall, according to district documents. District officials also plan to cover the remaining shortfall by dipping into LISD’s fund balance, which is similar to a savings account.
Based on daily attendance, the state allots school districts $6,160 per student, an amount that has not increased since 2019.
LISD’s graduating class of 2025 has 4,015 students while the current kindergarten enrollment is 2,767 students, which could affect future revenue.
What’s next?
The district will host listening tours for affected families to have a chance to ask questions, express concerns, and share feedback in person. There will also be a survey shared for feedback in November.
Families affected by these decisions will get more information directly about these upcoming meetings.
The board anticipates final decisions will be made by December 2024 that will take effect for the 2025-26 school year.
All staff at schools being closed will maintain positions within LISD. District officials will allow staff to indicate preferences for new schools and work to try and honor those preferences as much as possible.
The district also plans to host welcome events and support new families and students at the schools they are moved to.
There will be no changes that will cause a student to change feeder patterns. This means students will attend the middle school and high school they are currently zoned to.
“We’re making these decisions carefully to balance our district’s financial health with the needs of our families,” Rapp said.
