Coppell ISD postpones vote on Elementary School closure amid parent pressure

Coppell ISD postpones vote on Elementary School closure

School board members in the Coppell Independent School District postponed Monday nights vote on whether to close another elementary school. Parents have urged the trustees to delay the vote.

COPPELL, Texas - School board members in the Coppell Independent School District argue whether to close another elementary school. Parents have urged the trustees to delay the vote.

Coppell ISD's school board president started Monday night's meeting by saying he'd received multiple requests from other board trustees to postpone the vote, so the agenda was changed to make the meeting an open forum discussion.

What we know:

Over the last two weeks, parents, teachers, and community members have pushed back on Coppell ISD's consideration to close Town Center Elementary School.

The district recommended closing the school, citing traffic, safety, and accessibility concerns. Closing the school would also save the district $1.4 million a year to help with an $8.5 million budget deficit.

On September 22, the school board received a recommendation to pass an initiative called "Cowboys United," which is a broader plan for the future of the district that takes into account budget concerns and enrollment.

The plan includes a recommendation to close Town Center Elementary School and realign school boundaries.

Local perspective:

A group of parents came together to do their own study. They reportedly worked with community experts, engineers, and attorneys to create a 60-page data-driven report showing the school is safe.

More than 40 people spoke tonight, and the majority thanked the board for postponing the vote.

"I’m glad to hear this motion won’t be voted on today. Because today, if my 5-year-old daughter, who had just started kindergarten, asked me why her school was closing, I’d have no idea what to tell her," said Cori Reich, a Town Center Elementary parent.

Town Center Elementary's second grade teacher, Ashlin Bowman, also spoke at the forum.

"But this proposal does not align with the data we've seen. Please don't make a permanent decision unless you're absolutely certain this is the only right answer," said Bowman.

"What I’ve been most impressed about is that not everyone has kids and not everyone lives in Town Center. Some of our folks are people that have been here 30 years. This school means so much more to people and the value of what Town Center is so much more than what you’re going to see on a budget or financial review," said Tyler Reich, a parent.

"Both of my parents are public school teachers, and I’ve never thought about switching to charter schools, but there is one right up the road. So I know a lot of parents are having those same kind of thoughts, and you know it’s just really sad," added Zachary Metz, a parent.

Dig deeper:

Once the public portion of the discussion was over... The interim superintendent, Doug Williams, gave an in-depth presentation on the Cowboys United plan, including the campus consolidation and rezoning.

School board trustees asked questions throughout the presentation about the process, other considerations to save money, and enrollment campaigns to increase the number of students.

Board members used tonight’s meeting to get more details on the recommended plan so they can make an informed decision and vote. Several trustees asked to see more data, additional maps and a pros and cons list for the elementary schools to better understand how Town Center was selected.

What's next:

The district is getting a new superintendent. Leanne Shivers, who will officially take over tomorrow.

The board did not give an exact date on when they would vote, only that it could be as early as the meeting on October 27.

The Source: The information in this story comes from Coppell ISD and interviews with Coppell parents.

Coppell Education

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