Fort Bend ISD is preparing to release a proposal to close and rezone elementary schools

SUGARLAND, Texas (KTRK) — Fort Bend ISD parents are preparing for school closures and rezoning after the district released a new timeline of its long-term boundary planning.

FORT BEND ISD RELEASES NEW TIMELINE FOR ITS BORDER PLANNING

Fort Bend ISD board members met Monday. Most of the meeting focused on the district’s long-term boundary plan.

Earlier this year, the district announced it wanted to make changes mainly due to declining enrollment — a plan the district said could close schools and reshuffle students.

Fort Bend ISD Deputy Chief of Staff Beth Martinez gave trustees an update on the border timeline on Monday.

Martinez said they plan to present a proposal at the Dec. 15 meeting.

“We work very hard to make sure all students are doing well,” said Trustee Shirley Rose-Gilliam.

Martinez said they are going to recommend the board make a decision by March.

WHAT FACTORS ARE IN DECIDING WHICH SCHOOLS TO AFFECT?

Martinez did not say which campuses might be affected. However, she did provide information on the factors involved in the proposal.

She said they look at enrollment, budget, community impact and programs. Duncan Klussmann, a clinical associate professor at the University of Houston, was a superintendent in another school district.

He said the district may also look at academic performance.

“Do we have a campus that has failed for two years, three years, do we still have the control to close that campus or not before the state would do that,” Klussmann explained.

In terms of enrollment, there are a handful of elementary schools operating at approximately 50% capacity or less than what the facility was designed for. Glover Elementary has the largest gap at just 41% capacity.

FORT BEND ISD TRUSTEES WORRY VOUCHERS COULD MAKE ENROLLMENT WORSE

Next year, Texas will introduce its school voucher program, which will allow families to pay about $10,000 to attend a private school. At Monday’s Fort Bend ISD trustee meeting, members said they are concerned the program will make their enrollment numbers worse.

“There is uncertainty and anxiety and we will incur losses because of the vouchers,” said trustee Afshi Charania.

Klussmann said it’s a situation other districts are also watching closely. “The voucher piece is a reason to make some of these tough decisions, or to prepare for them, but we don’t know yet what that data will look like,” Klussmann says.

Before the voucher program even begins, Klussmann said it’s not just Fort Bend ISD that’s struggling with declining enrollment. He said that’s why other districts are also looking at campuses.

FORT BEND ISD IS NOT YET LOOKING FOR CHANGES IN ITS MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS

During Monday’s meeting, administrators learned that the district plans to release a proposal in mid-December that would only affect elementary schools.

“We as parents are a little confused as to why we’re looking at elementary schools right now,” parent Kendell Kelly said. “We’re not told anything about dietary patterns. What that looks like and then the middle school and high school level.”

Board members also expressed concern about not doing all the campuses at once.

“It would have been ideal to do all three together,” Charania said. “I recognize that we may not have those resources today.”

District officials have not provided a timeline on when or if they plan to address middle schools and high schools.

On Tuesday, ABC13 contacted Fort Bend ISD to do an interview and talk about the proposal. The province sent us the following statement:

Fort Bend ISD is committed to ensuring that every student learns in an environment that is safe, supportive and designed for long-term success. As FBISD enrollment begins to stabilize across the district, we are conducting a long-term planning process. This is a multi-year planning process designed to balance enrollment across our campuses over time.

We strive for a transparent process with meaningful input from our families, employees, students and community members. As part of this work, the district will share draft boundary scenarios with the public in January, providing ample opportunity for feedback before any recommendations are finalized and presented to the Board of Directors for consideration in early spring.

FBISD looks forward to continued collaboration with our community as we work together to build a strong and sustainable future for Fort Bend ISD.

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