Pressure is building between some parents and the Allen ISD over the district’s rezoning plans. If approved, it would mean closing two elementary schools on the city’s east side to help relieve overcrowding on the west side. Meredith Yeomans reports.
Pressure is building between some parents and the Allen ISD over the district's plans to deal with overcrowding.
The district proposes closing two elementary schools on the city's east side to help relieve overcrowding on the west side.
The first of two community meetings were held Thursday night at Allen High School.
It was a chance for district officials to show parents its proposed school realignment plan and explain why they think it needs to happen.
The new plan would mean students at Anderson Elementary would move to Olson Elementary and Roundtree Elementary students would move to Story Elementary, a proposal some parents aren’t happy about.
More than 100 parents attended Thursday’s meeting. The majority opposed the proposal.
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There was about an hour-long presentation followed by breakout sessions. The presentation is available online.
Some parents were hoping to be able to speak with members of the school district about the proposal.
Instead, they were asked to write down their thoughts.
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“Once again, Allen ISD is trying to silence parents. They're not letting us speak at the meeting tonight. They've given us our input papers which the very first question is, ‘What do you believe are the benefits of this specific proposal map?’ So they want to know what we like about it. We don't,” said Michelle Boren, parent of an Anderson Elementary School student.
The district says the realignment is happening because of converging factors.
One is a state mandate to now provide full-day pre-kindergarten, another is financial troubles and a third is slowing enrollment, particularly on the east side of town.
A district official said out of 3,000 empty elementary school seats in the district, 75% are on the east side.
Another community meeting is scheduled for Nov. 2 at Allen High School (Performing Arts Center) at 6:30 p.m.
A final vote is expected at a school board meeting on Nov. 28.
