The Grand Prairie ISD school board on Thursday unexpectedly hit pause on an anticipated vote to close three elementary campuses, opting instead to visit each school and listen to families and staff before making a call. The district has floated an "optimization" plan that would close Dickinson Montessori Academy, Delmas F. Morton Elementary and Travis World Language Academy, sending students to nearby campuses. Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo has pointed to declining enrollment and rising maintenance costs as the driving forces behind the proposal. Trustees say the delay gives families a window to make their case ahead of site visits and the next round of meetings.
Trustees Pull Closure Vote, Opt For Campus Visits
Board leadership told the superintendent they were not comfortable moving ahead with the closure vote and asked that the item be removed from the meeting agenda. According to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, trustees agreed to travel to each of the three campuses under consideration so parents, teachers and staff could speak directly with board members. The move gives the community more time to dissect the district’s plan before any binding decision is made.
Three Schools On The Chopping Block
The district’s proposal targets Dickinson Montessori Academy, Delmas F. Morton Elementary and Travis World Language Academy for consolidation or closure. CBS Texas reports the plan would discontinue Montessori programming at Dickinson and repurpose the Truman campus as the Truman Digital Learning Institute, with a focus on esports, coding and artificial intelligence. District officials say students and staff at Morton and Travis would be reassigned to surrounding campuses.
Deficit And Enrollment Slide Fuel The Push
District leaders told trustees that finances are tightening fast: GPISD is staring at a projected shortfall of about $17 million, and enrollment has been sliding for several years. NBC 5 DFW reported the deficit figure, while The Dallas Morning News notes the district has lost more than 3,600 students in recent years, a decline officials estimate equals roughly $22 million in lost state funding. Leaders argue that underused campuses combined with mounting repair bills are not sustainable over the long term.
What Happens To Students And Programs
Under the district outline, Morton students would be reassigned to several nearby elementary schools, while the elementary and middle grades currently at Travis would be shifted to other campuses with available space. CBS Texas reported that Dickinson would merge into Truman, which would be reorganized as a pre-K through 8 digital learning institute. District officials say concentrating students in newer facilities would help trim long term maintenance costs.
Parents Organize As Timeline Stays Fuzzy
Families at the affected schools say they are relieved to have at least a temporary delay and are now gearing up to organize before trustees cast a final vote. Jose Noguchi, a Morton parent, told FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth he and other parents first heard about the potential closures in mid December and want more outreach from the district. The superintendent did not give a firm date for a final decision, though trustees plan campus visits during the first week of February and the board’s next scheduled meeting is on Feb. 17.
