Judson ISD closes 3 elementary schools amid $37M budget shortfall

The Feb. 24 decision brings the total number of schools closing at the end of the 2025-26 school year in the district to four, amounting to an anticipated annual savings of $7 million, or 19% of the total shortfall, according to a campus consolidation packet from the district's Feb. 9 special meeting.

The elementary school closures were recommended by the district’s administration based on a myriad of factors, according to a Feb. 24 meeting presentation, which include:

• Current enrollment
• Future enrollment trends
• Housing growth
• Proximity to feeder schools
• Capacity of feeder schools

Leah Schreier, a teacher at Rolling Meadows Elementary, proposed leveraging their "amazing school community." She asked the board to give them a year to show how they can build enrollment through the trust they've already built in the community and bring back kids who have left for charter schools or other options.

"If you would give us a year, we really believe that we could make a difference in our community and we could lead the way for the rest of the district to show how we can still have strong public schools even in the changing climate with the growth of charters and vouchers," Schreier said.

Cassandra Payne, an educator at JISD, said the deficit was multi-year.

"It stems from flat state funding, declining enrollment, rising fixed costs and staffing levels that no longer align with actual student numbers. Because of this, one-time actions like closing schools may feel like the immediate action, but they do not solve the underlying problem; they just put a Band-Aid on a broken arm," Payne said. She said leasing campuses to early childhood providers, special education cooperatives and adult education partners would generate revenue and keep campuses active.

What trustees are saying

Stanford said school districts are not accustomed to being competitive against charter schools. She said she was willing to give the schools a year to market to the area and pull those students back into the district.

“We don’t have to sit here passively and bleed students,” Stanford said. “I’m willing to invest in you, and I hope my colleagues are too.”

Macias Jr. said he was praying for those hurting from the decision.

“We’re closing schools before we’ve had any formative budget discussions and I know there are alternatives,” he said. “There are pathways that we should explore first before we close campuses.”

Trustee Suzanne Kenoyer said she taught at Rolling Meadows and has friends there and at Ed Franz. She also said her wife was an assistant principal at Park Village for five years.

“These all mean something to me. But what means more to me is making sure that this district can be functional and that we can provide for all our students,” Kenoyer said.

Kenoyer said the district needs funding from an additional 1,500-2,000 students to make up the deficit. "I don't see that happening," she said.

The framework

In November 2025, JISD placed a voter-approved tax rate election, or VATRE, on the ballot, which failed to pass, with 60.01% of voters in Bexar County voting against the proposition. If approved, the district's property tax rate would have increased by $0.045 per $100 valuation to $1.0796 per $100, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

"The failure of the VATRE means that our district will not have access to the $21 million in annual revenue it would have provided. As a result, we will need to make decisions in the months ahead to control costs while maintaining essential programs and supports for our students and staff," Milton "Rob" Fields III, JISD's superintendent, who is currently on administrative leave pending an investigation into reported concerns, said in a Nov. 5 news release following the election.

Looking ahead

Next, district faculty will begin meeting with campus staff, establish academic program reassignments and relocations and communicate the employee transition process. The district will also publish a closure timeline, finalize boundaries, bus routes, registration, enrollment and school of choice, according to previous Community Impact reporting and board presentations.