More North Texas schools close amid budget shortfalls
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Declining enrollment and budget shortfalls have forced several North Texas school districts to close campuses.
The big picture: Traditional public schools nationwide are struggling with declining enrollment, as more families opt for private schools or public charter schools.
- Americans are also having fewer kids. The U.S. fertility rate has declined nearly 15 percentage points since 2007, per AP.
State of play: Public school enrollment in Texas increased by almost 9% between 2012-13 and 2022-23. But attendance, which determines in part how much funding a school receives, remains a challenge.
- Around 26% of Texas students were chronically absent — meaning they missed more than roughly 18 days of classes — during the 2021-22 school year. That figure was around 15% in 2019-20 and around 11% in 2018-19, per El Paso Matters.
- That decline, along with increasing operational costs and stagnant per-student state funding, has led to budget shortfalls in many districts.
Zoom in: Coppell ISD's board voted this week to close the district's oldest elementary school before next school year, citing declining enrollment and insufficient state funding, per NBC5.
- Plano ISD's board voted to close two elementary schools and two middle schools despite opposition from parents. Faculty members were given the option to transfer to another school in the district.
- Fort Worth ISD nixed a plan last year to consolidate seven middle schools into three schools. Parents and educators had expressed concerns about the change.
Meanwhile: Dallas ISD officials told KERA that the district's enrollment numbers are holding steady this year after declining for nine years.
- Frisco ISD has had to close new enrollment when campuses reach capacity and direct families to other campuses within the district.
Between the lines: Many campuses are also aging. The Plano schools that closed were built in the 1970s and would cost $60 million or $110 million each to rebuild, per KERA.
What they're doing: The policy nonprofit Every Texan has pushed state lawmakers to base school funding on enrollment, but past legislation on the topic hasn't advanced.
- Texas school district officials have said the change would increase their state funding by millions of dollars.
- "School districts plan and budget based on the number of students enrolled. … The school must be prepared to educate every child every school day, even when a child is absent for the day," Every Texan says.