What you need to know
Discussions to close the schools stemmed from district officials' attempts to cut costs ahead of an anticipated budget shortfall. The district's 2025-26 Fiscal Year base budget, without a voter-approved tax rate election, or VATRE, will have an anticipated shortfall of $40.82 million. If the district were to pursue a VATRE successfully, revenue would increase by just over $13 million, reducing the shortfall to an estimated $27.79 million, according to a May 21 presentation.
The closure of Judson Middle School would have brought approximately $1.7 million in cost savings, according to a May 15 presentation. The closures of Candlewood and Franz Leadership Academy—which were named as specific campuses for possible closures during a May 21 board meeting—would save the district an additional combined $1.7 million.
What the board is saying
Trustee José Macias Jr. said the closure of Judson Middle was a topic of discussion in December 2024, but the board made a "strategic decision" not to close the campus at that time. If an elementary school needed to close in the future, he said he thought the district should look to closing the new, currently unopened Selma Elementary, as it would have less of an impact on the community.
Board President Monica Ryan said she does not know where the district goes from here on budgetary matters.
“We’re going to be down to 50 days in our fund balance, the lowest of any school district in the San Antonio area, in that danger area. Nobody wants to close schools, and I get that ... we will work on it next year ... I don’t want our teachers and schools to suffer,” Ryan said.
Trustee Suzanne Kenoyer, who opposed closing schools without a proper process, encouraged the community to email and call their state representatives, state senators, the governor and the lieutenant governor.
"A direct result of what they're trying to do to public education is what you're seeing happen here tonight. They need to fully fund public schools. It is in the state constitution ... they're ignoring that," Kenoyer said.
Public input
Claudia Walker, an early childhood special education teacher, said closures often target areas of low-income residents and communities of color and reduce access to vital education resources.
“This contributes to spatial injustice, where certain groups face systemic disadvantages based on geography,” Walker said. “Students displaced by closures may struggle to adapt to new schools, face longer commutes and lose the support networks they had in their previous school.”
Candlewood Elementary Assistant Principal Regina Miles said the proposal to close the school was more than a policy decision.
“It is life-altering action that impacts the heart of the community ... ” Miles said. “Schools like Candlewood are safe havens for many of our students. It is the only stable place that some of our students have. I have more to say, but I will speak for my kids every day. I have students that walk to school just to get a pair of shoes, so you can’t tell me that in this neighborhood, we don’t need a school. I have kids that come on a daily basis just for the love.”
Shawna Houlahan, a longtime district employee, read a letter from Janie Franz—the widow of Edward Franz whom the academy was named after in 1997—that questioned why the closures were brought up at the end of the year without a good plan for the community, teachers and students.
Loren Orzechowski, a District 3 resident and Candlewood’s librarian, said JISD has poured a lot of taxpayer money into multiple projects for the school, like new plumbing and additional bathrooms for staff, which were funded by the district’s 2016 and 2022 bonds.
“I’m here for the second time to fight for my job. Please don’t let me down,” Orzechowski said.
What's next
The board will discuss additional cost-saving measures, like postponement of opening Selma Elementary and Cibolo Creek Middle Schools, and reducing one assistant principal at each secondary campus at a future meeting.
