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Rountree and Anderson Elementary faculties will shut and the buildings can be repurposed. Students at a number of different faculties may also must switch.
ALLEN, Texas — The Allen ISD Board of Trustees voted late Monday evening to approve a controversial redistricting plan, which can shut two faculties and pressure younger college students all throughout the district to switch to new campuses within the fall.
District employees has stated for weeks that the West aspect of Allen ISD is booming, and because of this faculties are over enrolled. The East aspect, although, is severely underneath enrolled, inflicting the district to lose out on tens of millions of {dollars}.
The district says uneven enrollment can be making it laborious to retain employees.
The now-approved plan will shutter Anderson and Rountree elementary faculties. Anderson’s campus will convert to a full-day pre-kindergarten for eligible four-year-olds, which is remitted by new state necessities.
The district will repurpose Rountree Elementary for future non-instructional programming wants.
Dozens of offended mother and father and college students begged the board to not approve the plan forward of its vote. They argued transport younger children off to fully new faculties would hurt college students’ psychological well being and educational progress, disproportionately impression low-income college students, and create security issues.
They additionally voiced issues over potential impacts of property values on properties close to the newly closed faculties.
Despite their pleas, about 3 hours into the assembly, the board voted in favor of the proposal.
Then, in a tense and surprising second, Vatsa Ramanathan, the one board member to vote towards the proposal, resigned on the spot and stormed out of the assembly.
“We have always been told to go to the community and get their feedback,” he advised reporters moments after he resigned.
“If the people’s input is not given any value…” he stated, earlier than reducing himself to take away his Allen ISD identify tag.
“I’m no longer in the school board, so…”
The adjustments go into impact for the 2023 faculty 12 months.
District employees stated some college students, like fifth graders who can be in sixth grade subsequent 12 months, can request to remain at their unique campus if they don’t attend one of many two elementary faculties shutting down.
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