Grapevine-Colleyville school board won’t pause plan to close 2 campuses
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the estimated budget shortfalls.
The Grapevine-Colleyville school board president said Tuesday the district will move forward with plans to shutter two elementary schools, despite pleas from parents to wait longer before making a decision.
The board president, Shannon Braun, told the Star-Telegram pausing the process isn’t practical because of “dire” financial concerns. Like other North Texas districts, Grapevine-Colleyville is grappling with declining enrollment, inflation and a need for funding from the state legislature.
“We can’t pause. We have to move forward because of the seriousness and the crisis of the financial status that we’re in,” Braun said.
The school board is expected to vote Dec. 10 on closing Bransford Elementary in Colleyville and Dove Elementary in Grapevine. The district is without a superintendent, and opponents to the closures want the board to push the vote until after the trustees appoint an interim leader Dec. 15.
According to information from Grapevine-Colleyville, the district’s projected budget shortfall is right under $3.2 million if school consolidation changes aren’t made. If the district closes the two schools, the projected savings is approximately $2.7 million.
Braun spoke to the Star-Telegram on Tuesday during a public forum on the closures plans. She said Grapevine-Colleyville has seen declining enrollment in the past 10 years, which translates to fewer kids in seats.
The district is exploring ways to bring in more revenue, including the possibility of selling properties and asking for donations in property tax bills.
Parents opposed to Grapevine-Colleyville school closures
Some parents who have spoken publicly say they’re worried about their children learning in crowded classrooms if Bransford and Dove close.
Braun said the district is required to follow the law of a 22-1 ratio of students to teachers in classrooms. She said that if schools close, students would be in classrooms that won’t go over the state’s limits.
”What’s ironic is that we’ve been under capacity for so long that that we can’t even imagine full schools,” Braun said.
During Tuesday’s forum, parents made impassioned pleas for the trustees to delay the Dec. 10 closure vote. The district’s superintendent, Brad Schnautz, resigned in November to become executive director of the Region XI Education Service Center. The board is expected to appoint an interim superintendent from outside the district.
But not all board members are in favor of closing schools.
Place 2 trustee Dalia Begin wrote in a Facebook post that concerns over school closures are keeping her up at night.
“Although it is abundantly clear that the district must take immediate action to control costs, significant gaps remain in the current EMPC (Education Master Planning Committee) school closure proposal, and it is my opinion that more due diligence is necessary,” she wrote.
Begin did not immediately respond to a message from the Star-Telegram.
Matt Harwell, whose children attend Bransford, spoke during the forum and said that he voted for all of the trustees over the years, giving his decision thoughtful consideration.
“It’s my expectation that you give the same thoughtfulness and consideration (to the closures),” Harwell said. “The stakes are too high. We’ve got to hit the pause button.”
He added that he worked for a corporation, and “a decision of this magnitude would never get made without a CEO at the helm.”
Following the public comments portion of the meeting, district officials showed a slide presentation seen at previous board meetings highlighting the declining enrollment and other data concerning the need to close schools.
During the presentation, parents walked out of the Grapevine High School auditorium in frustration, saying that the board wasn’t listening to their concerns. Some said they wanted an opportunity for more discussions with trustees.
Renee Hart said she left because she didn’t feel like the board was listening.
“The community wants to have engaging, back-and-forth conversations with the board. We want to be heard. We don’t want to be talked at,” she said.
Kimberly Phoenix said she left the meeting because she wants information on enrollment trends showing grades 1 through 12. She also wants to know what Grapevine-Colleyville is doing to bring students back to the district who left.
“We’ve been watching the declining enrollment under this board, and they won’t do anything. They keep cutting programs,” she said.
On Dec. 2, Grapevine Mayor William Tate sent a letter to Braun requesting that trustees hold off on closing the schools to allow Tate to seek donations for the district.
Tate wrote in his letter that he believes that he could raise money in the next two months to help the district.
“My participation in this effort would require a commitment from you that there would be no school closures in Grapevine in the 2026-27 school year,” Tate wrote.
Tate said pausing school closures would help rebuild trust in the community.
Braun said Tuesday she had not seen the letter from Tate.
This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 2:15 PM.