What’s happening?
The district’s board of trustees approved the formation of a long-range facility planning advisory committee, which will make recommendations on “building and property efficiencies,” according to a resolution passed during the board’s Sept. 19 meeting.
The committee will be looking into the following options:
- Feeder pattern options
- Attendance boundaries
- Right-sizing properties
- Retiring campuses
Johnny Hill, PISD deputy superintendent for business and employee services, said closing campuses would not come with reducing staff.
“Nobody has been let go, and nobody will be let go through this process,” Hill said.
He added there is no list of schools being considered for retirement, and all decisions will be made after the committee gathers and reviews data.
The background
Declining enrollment numbers were the catalyst behind establishing a long-range planning committee.
PISD’s enrollment has decreased more than 7% since 2020-21, according to Texas Education Agency Data. Hill added the district has consistently lost students over the last 10 years.
Trustee Tarrah Lantz added the committee will give PISD a chance to figure out “what our future looks like” as it addresses declining enrollment.
“Plano ISD has reached build-out—we have districts all around us that are newer and growing, and the challenges that we face are different,” she said. “I know this is emotional, and we all are quick to make very knee-jerk reactions in situations like this, ... but I'm going to continue to remind people that this is really an opportunity for good and for us to set the tone for what we want Plano ISD to look like in the future.”
Quote of note
“[School closures] are not happening tonight, and it's not happening in the next couple of months. There's a lot of work to do,” PISD Superintendent Theresa Williams said. “There are a lot of different scenarios that could come from this, but our job is to make sure that we're not just looking out for the best interest of the students, our district and our communities right now, but long-term.”
What else
The district is looking to host community meetings to gather feedback throughout the process, Hill said.
He added parents will be able to follow along on a web page that will house presentations and data from the long-range facility planning advisory committee. The district is looking to get that web page up “within the week.”
