The district initially announced the proposed plan to close Wilshire Elementary School, Clear Spring Elementary School and Driscoll Middle School in December.
SAN ANTONIO — North East ISD Board of Trustees voted late Monday night to consolidate and close three of its schools next year due to declining enrollment and high costs.
The decision came after hours of public comment and discussion at the school board meeting. The city’s second-biggest district initially announced the proposed plan to close Wilshire Elementary School, Clear Spring Elementary School and Driscoll Middle School in December.
Since then, parents and community members, including NEISD parent Judy Martinez, formed the North East ISD Community Advocates group, which consists of 70 members.
“We were blindsided by this news on 10 p.m. December 9th,” Judy Martinez said.
NEISD hosted several community meetings to address their concerns. However, some of those parents felt the process was still rushed.
They gathered in protest outside the administration building ahead of the vote Monday.
“We have to come together,” Martinez said.
Inside the board room, Superintendent Sean Maika gave a presentation explaining how the district got to this point.
He stated the district has a deficit of $39 million. By closing the three schools, he said, they expect to save up to $5 million.
He said they took into consideration the proximity of the schools to other campuses and the state of the buildings when choosing the three campuses.
Maika also discussed how enrollment has declined due to declining birth rates and competition with charter schools. He also brought up the lack of support from Austin and lawmakers when it comes to funding public school system; the Texas Senate has passed a bill that would pay families who seek to enroll their children in private schooling, bringing one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s legislative priorities closer to fruition.
Maika said he is not optimistic there will be meaningful legislation passed this session to help public schools.
“Nothing that I see today points me to this belief that the state is coming to help bail out systems in some form or fashion,” he said.
Several people spoke out in the public comment portion, including middle school students.
“I don’t think anyone would like to be separated from each other,” one student said.
Maika assured attendees there wouldn’t be layoffs as a result of the school closures. In a vote taken after 11 p.m., the board unanimously OK’d approval of the consolidations, joining local districts like San Antonio ISD and South San ISD that have made similar moves.
However, the district must provide monthly updates on how they are executing the plan to relocate students and faculty.
For more on the plan and where students will be moved to, click here.