With no new state money and voters shooting down a tax increase, Frisco ISD hopes to secure more funding by opening enrollment to students outside the district.
Frisco ISD is an "A" rated school district and has been for as long as the state has been handing out grades. A big reason people choose to live in Frisco is to get access to their schools.
Now that access is a little easier to gain, Frisco ISD has fewer students in certain elementary and middle schools. As empty nesters stay put and forgo selling their homes to younger families, this has created enough space to open slots to K-7 students living outside the district.
"We knew our enrollment was declining we thought it would just trickle but what's happened is it's just plateaued," said Michael Waldrip, superintendent.
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He admits it's not just space but money. The state hasn't given schools additional money in several years, and earlier this month, voters refused to raise taxes to keep up with inflation, so the district had to get creative.
If you want in, click here and look for "Access Frisco ISD." Review the requirements and apply. The district expects to receive $750,000 from the state for every 100 students added to the district.
"We're an education institution. We're not a business that tries to generate revenue," said Waldrip. "You know we have that extra capacity I think we can fill, and of course, the money follows the student in Texas, and that would generate revenue for us."
Other schools are in a similar boat or looking at creative ways to raise cash. Just this week, Coppell ISD's school board said opening its doors to students outside city limits is a possibility. It's another top-rated, highly sought-after district. All those programs cost money, and voters rejected a tax hike here, too, so they may be using their reputation to help bring in more cash.
"It's just the whole situation that we're in with the stagnant contribution of funding from the state, high inflation, high cost of living it leads to the situation we're in now," Brad Hunt, superintendent of the Coppell ISD, told us in a recent interview.
Several districts like Richardson and Plano have closed campuses as enrollment drops. Lewisville is set to vote on doing the same next month. Could Frisco be next?
"That's always a possibility," said Waldrip. "I think that could be in our future. I know a lot of our neighbors are having to deal with that. We're not at that point right now and that's why we're doing what we're doing with open enrollment to try to stave some of that off.
Voters also rejected a tax hike to improve funding in Northwest ISD. The superintendent there has not sat down with NBC 5 to discuss his plans.
