Grand Prairie ISD postpones vote on closing elementary schools

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Grand Prairie ISD's school board did not vote on closing several elementary schools in the district during their board meeting Thursday.

What we know:

The Grand Prairie ISD school board president shared that the board did not feel confident moving forward with the vote, so they asked the superintendent to remove it from tonight's agenda.

The board is now planning to visit each campus up for closure to hear more from parents, teachers, and staff.

Over the last month, Grand Prairie ISD has discussed what the district calls an optimization plan. The proposal would close three elementary schools and consolidate students into surrounding schools.

Dig deeper:

The schools up for closure include Dickinson Montessori Academy, Morton Elementary School, and Travis World Language Academy.

The superintendent shared that Grand Prairie is facing similar issues as other districts: a declining enrollment and a more than $17 million budget deficit.

Since 2020, the district has lost more than 3600 students, which equals a loss of about $22 million in state funding.

The superintendent shared the district is considering this plan because the district has several underutilized campuses, and it has overextended to keep up with maintenance.

Local perspective:

Those we spoke to were glad the board is taking more time before making a decision. One parent said they found out about the closure in mid-December. 

"I don't think there has been a process because they haven't informed us or given us a chance to actually speak," said Jose Noguchi, a parent of a child who attends Morton Elementary. "So now that the vote has been postponed, that gives us a chance. A brief, if you want to put it that way, but if the vote would have been today, we wouldn't have had time to actually put our concerns in front of them or ask them to change the decision."

What's next:

The superintendent did not say when the board will take action. The school board will visit each campus the first week of February.

The school board's next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 17.