Harlandale ISD votes to close four schools due to low enrollment
The school board members approved the closures 4-3 with Norma Cavazos, Elizabeth Limon, and Elaine Anaya-Ortiz voting against the motion. The students of those schools will be consolidated into another school and the buildings will be repurposed into facilities that handle different education programs and services.
Amanda Freeman, a HISD grad who lives in the area, said Monday that she hasn’t heard how the school closures and repurposing would save the district money.
“Is the district prepared to possibly lose more children to other districts, charter schools, or home school if you decide to close any of the elementary schools that mean so much to the community?” Freeman asked. “My answer would be ‘No.'”
The closure was one among three options presented to the board Monday night after discussions and a town hall meeting discussing the closures. One option included Carroll Bell Elementary instead of Vestal. The third option was not to close or repurpose any campuses. The district has 13 elementary schools, including the four that are set to close.
Teachers with various certifications and seniority will have a choice of which school to be placed.
Harlandale ISD has been facing challenges with low enrollment, which has led to the district looking at a $12 million deficit due to a drop in average daily attendance funding from the state. The district has seen enrollment fall 25% since 2015 and faces losing over 3,000 students by 2031. The district has also struggled with keeping and hiring teachers, going as far to propose four-day school weeks.
The school district said at previous meetings that it is also facing competition from area charter schools like IDEA, which has been actively soliciting parents to attend its schools by going door to door.
Christine Garza, a teacher at Vestal Elementary, said during public comment Monday that she sees the decision as an effort to save jobs and protect staff and students.
“During this transition there is no doubt, school communities will be displaced. That is a painful thing we will go through,” Garza said. “We need to ensure that we are voting. That we call our legislators and tell them to properly fund us. We need to make sure that we are registered to vote.”
