Fort Worth ISD looks at ‘rightsizing,’ potential school closures as enrollment declines
The Fort Worth Independent School District will conduct a study of its school building capacity, which will include “rightsizing recommendations” resulting from a steadily declining enrollment of students and is expected to lead to the closure of some schools.
A resolution calling for the study was approved unanimously by the school board on Tuesday with no discussion, but district records outline the under-utilization of facilities as the district’s enrollment has declined from 87,233 students in 2016 to 72,783 students in 2023. Records note “demographic trends” and “regional shortages of housing options for young families and the proliferation of charter schools” as contributing factors.
The district has the capacity to accommodate 90,000 students.
“This study shall include rightsizing recommendations that aim to address the inequitable distribution of resources among schools and create improved opportunities for all district students to attend a thriving school,” the resolution states.
The study will analyze the following factors:
Educational programming
Operating costs
Per pupil costs
Staffing structures
Student dislocation
Building capacity
Projected enrollment
Desirability of the site
Building and property condition
Life expectancy of the building
Community use of the facility and historical context
Additionally, the board unanimously approved a contract for a district facility master plan with a maximum price tag of almost $2.1 million. The chosen contractor, Hoar Program Management LLC, will “provide fact-based planning tools for future facility-related decisions” and “provide information that supports renovation, repurposing and/or construction of current and/or new facilities,” records show.
The school building capacity study will support the development of the master plan, according to the resolution.
Before recommendations are made to close any schools, the resolution outlines a process to gather feedback from the community.
Prior to the publication of the study, Fort Worth ISD will present a preliminary analysis to an advisory committee and the general community in a series of regional meetings, the resolution says.
After getting that preliminary feedback, the district will prepare a draft of the study including its initial recommendations, which will be shared with the board, school employees and families, and hold more regional meetings to present the study to the community.
Once decisions are made, the district will establish transition teams at any schools it plans to close in order to support students, parents and staff through the process, the resolution states.
Enrollment in Fort Worth ISD fell by more than 3% from 2016-2019. At the time, district leaders and education advocates noted how Fort Worth is largely landlocked and central city development is focused on high-end urban dwellers as reasons behind the dip.
Also, families appear to continue opting for nearby suburban districts, charter schools or private schools.
This story was originally published September 26, 2023 at 10:41 PM.
