After a nearly four-hour meeting Monday night, Coppell ISD's school board voted 4-3 to close the district's oldest elementary school.
The news was a huge blow for Pinkerton parents, who have attended a series of meetings all month, heralding the school's benefits and impact on children and pleading for the district not to make a hasty decision. Their school will now close.
"It's heartbreaking. I have to get up in the morning and tell my kids that they're not going to Pinkerton next year," said Julie Waters, a parent who organized much of the parent protests.
Parents began tearing up during the meeting, which saw board members going back and forth over different options. Some board members suggested waiting to make a decision, also fighting back tears, while others warned that this issue had been kicked down the road for years and it was time to act.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
A committee looking at facilities recommended closing Pinkerton years ago, but ultimately, the board never took up that matter.
This time, it was the budget that forced the discussion at the board level.
“If we run the district bankrupt, we fail everybody,” said CISD Board President David Caviness.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
NBC 5 first reported the news in early September. The district said the closure was necessary due to a lack of state funding, declining enrollment due to pressure from charters, and lower birth rates.
This comes after weeks of contention over the school district's efforts to find ways to save money and alleviate financial stress. The district is bracing for a nearly $7 million budget deficit this fiscal year.
Like many school districts across North Texas, Coppell has been weighing its options on school closures due to a lack of state funding. Click here to read more about the challenges facing the district.
"I know this is a hard moment for the Pinkerton community, and I want to acknowledge the weight of this decision. I love each and every one of our schools and the special communities they foster. I know the attachment that families, students, and staff have to their campuses, and I understand the emotions that come with this type of change. This is not easy for any of us, but it is necessary as we continue to balance what is best for our district and the students we serve," said Brad Hunt, superintendent of the Coppell ISD, in a statement after the vote.
On Monday morning, about two dozen parents and students gathered outside Pinkerton Elementary School to protest the school board’s proposal to close the school. Dozens more had also planned to pull their students out of class to protest the decision, and many stayed right through the board vote Monday night.
“I understand that these are hard decisions that have to be made, it doesn't make them easier to accept," said Vanessa Zertuche, who has sent three of her children to Pinkerton and struggled through her emotions after the vote. "I just hope we can come together to weather this storm."
Parents said they were worried the district may be taking away some of the best parts of the district in the name of compromise, mainly the dual language program, but board members didn't include it in their vote Monday night.
Other parents said they were frustrated not only with the local school district but also with the state lawmakers, and more specifically, Gov. Greg Abbott, for holding money for schools hostage until school vouchers are approved.
“I've been feeling really frustrated about the state of Texas and the current situation with education. Our kids have not been getting raised effectively since 2019, even though inflation's been through the roof, and we're still operating at 2019 funding levels. It's just ridiculous. And the fact that we're here doing this now is ridiculous,” said Shawn Hester, a Pinkerton Elementary parent.
In a board workshop this month, Coppell ISD revealed just how dire the situation is.
“The district's fund balance is crucial for maintaining operations, particularly during the September to December period when tax revenues are not yet collected. CISD must keep a fund balance of approximately four months of expenditures to have enough cash on hand to pay teachers and staff, as well as meet other operating expenses,” reads an update on the district website. “The district anticipates reaching a budget deficit of $6.8 million for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Pinkerton kids will be consolidated into other elementary schools in the district, but the specific plan is still up in the air.
One proposal would have been to send them to Austin and Wilson elementary schools. Then, many Wilson kids, including those in the dual language and bilingual programs, would be bussed to Denton Creek Elementary, about four miles across town.
Wilson is a Title 1 School, as is Denton Creek, Austin, Copell Middle School North, and Coppell Middle School East.
Many Wilson students live in two mobile home parks across the street from the school. Some parents told NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 that they feel it is not fair to those students or their families, many of whom speak only Spanish and haven't been in the loop on all the changes happening in the district.
“So effectively saying, ‘Even though you live directly across the street, kids, you're going to have to take a bus now,’” said Hester. “And at the expense of our kids. Our kids are the ones moving up there and it doesn't set well with me. It also doesn't set well with me that that's a majority Hispanic community over there that probably has the least voice, the least advocacy in this community.”
The original plan was to consider three schools for closure, but in the last two weeks, it was narrowed down to just Pinkerton, sending hundreds of parents to a packed town hall meeting to speak out. Those parents said they are planning to stay involved until the district reveals its plan for the dual language program.
