AISD board discusses school consolidation as student enrollment declines

The Amarillo Independent School District (AISD) Board of Trustees discussed record low enrollment across the district, as seen across the state in other districts, and possible plans to address the issue including consolidation of schools, heightening of tax rates, and more as discussed in its Monday afternoon board meeting.

As stated during the meeting, the drop in enrollment across the district is overall due to low birthrates in the area, as can also be seen across the state and nation. These lower than average birthrates, resulting in a fewer school age children, have created an ongoing overall decline in enrollment in the district. As stated during the board meeting, from the years of 2017 to 2022, the district has seen an 8.3% decline in student enrollment, equating to 2,729 students. Since 2015/2016, the district stated that they have lost approximately 4,000 students.

"We have lost 3,900 students in the last few years. Our average elementary size is 450 students today, which is the equivalent of 10 elementary schools, or the equivalent of about five middle schools. The point is we are losing students and have too many facilities if you are just using numbers," Daniel West, AISD Chief Financial Officer stated during the meeting.

Due to the fact that the district receives funding from the state government per child enrolled in the district to maintain their facilities, the district is no longer receiving the proper funding to maintain all of their campuses with this prolonged drop in student enrollment and projected continued decline.

According to the AISD, the majority of their funding comes from the state, with 64% of last year's total revenue resulting from the state funding and a majority of the remaining 36% resulting from tax rates on property value.

"Most of our revenue is driven by formula, and that formula is student count. So, the more students you have, the higher funding you receive; the less students you have, the less funding you receive. Local property taxes are a part of that (the total), but the other part is the state making up the difference," West said.

The district also presented to the board several predictions including best, moderate and worst case scenarios involving enrollment over the upcoming decade that revealed low chances of change to the current situation occurring for the district's enrollment rates.

Due to the current lack of funding and projected rates, the district presented a few solutions to remedy this issue, including consolidation of district elementary schools, increasing property tax rates, community funding, and as a last straw, employment layoffs and/or program cuts.

The elementary school consolidations would include the combination of Sunrise Elementary School students to Humphrey's Highland Elementary School. Park Hills Elementary School district area would be consolidated, and children on either side of the Dumas Highway would attend George Washington Carver Elementary Academy of Rogers Elementary School.

The district of Pleasant Valley Elementary School would be split into four sections, with the students' area of residence determining their new district. Those living west of the Dumas Highway would be placed in the Woodlands Elementary School district; those in the middle area would revert to the Hamlet Elementary School district; east of the highway would attend Mesa Verde Elementary School; and students living south of 24th Street would be placed in the Whittier Elementary School district. This consolidation would include new transport routes provided by the district.

Another consolidation option would be the splitting of the Landergin Elementary School district into four areas as well, with residents living north of Interstate-40 (I-40) becoming part of the Sanborn Elementary School district. Residents living south of I-40 to SW 34th Avenue would join Wolflin Elementary School's district, and those living south of SW 34th Avenue would attended Lamar Elementary School or South Lawn Elementary School.

The district also proposed presenting the community with the option to raise property taxes to provide more funds to the district and potentially prevent consolidation of schools. In addition, the district spoke of a worst-case scenario where they would make "major cuts" to their maintenance and operation, staffing, and programs across the district.

"How do you even start to have this conversation with the public? Where does it begin, to tell the public that based on where our enrollment is, we don't have a choice, and it we can do this model or this model. But something has to change, and probably something needs to change within the next 12 months. We have done all that we can do to create those efficiencies and save those dollars, and so we are going to have to start having real conversations," AISD Superintendent Doug Loomis said.

According to the district, with the consolidation plan, some of the schools might require the addition of portable classrooms, which the district is prepared to provide if needed on a campus.

The district also spoke of the possibility of generating donations to create one new facility as a consolidation school or updating one of their older campuses with a "face lift" able to provide the space and needs to house area students as they are placed in these new district zones.

During the meeting, the district and trustees stated they want community involvement in this issue and don't want anyone to feel they are taking away a part of their community, but they also seek the public's help and response on this ongoing issue the district faces.

"As a community, some things I think we have to think of (are) not 'how is this going to benefit me,' but 'how is it going to benefit kids and the kids that need it the most'. ... I think we have to unite ourselves around that, because that is where this decision needs to come from," AISD trustee Kayla Mendez said.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: As enrollment drops, Amarillo district weighs school, funding options