Coppell's school district will vote Monday on whether to close its oldest elementary school due to budget concerns fueled by declining enrollment since the pandemic.
Both trustees and members of the school community fought back tears at a public meeting earlier this month as they discussed the proposed closure of Pinkerton Elementary School, which opened in 1928 and which they said served generations of families.
But in recent years the district has been forced to make cuts based on lower enrollment, including reductions in bus shuttles and custodial services, student and staff services, and student extracurricular activities.
As of Aug. 31, the district said they’re facing a $6.8 million budget shortfall.
“We are at a crossroads,” Place 6 Trustee Nichole Bentley said at the meeting. “While I would love for everything to stay the same at our awesome district, those are not the choices we are being faced with right now.”
If Monday's closure proposal is approved, Pinkerton would consolidate with Austin and Wilson elementary schools and would save the district an estimated $2.1 million. The closures would go into effect ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
Consolidations would be based on existing open seats to keep class sizes the same, district officials said.
Coppell board members first met Sept. 9 to discuss the potential closures of three schools, including New Tech High School, Austin and Pinkerton.
Between Sept. 6 and 13, the district said they received more than 250 emails from concerned parents. More than 70 parents and students filled seats at the workshop last week and more trickled out into the hallway.
The board ultimately removed Austin as a potential closure after parents pointed out it serves as a neighborhood school students can walk to. The board also removed the closure of New Tech and intends to find new ways to increase enrollment in the future. The proposed closures are estimated to save the district more than $4 million.
Pinkerton’s closure is still under consideration — and it’s not the first time the district’s discussed its removal. Trustees proposed closing the school in 2022, but did not move forward after pushback from families.
Those same family concerns were raised during this month's meeting, including from alumna and Place 1 trustee Leigh Walker.
“I'm a Pinkerton Cowpoke,” Walker said through tears. “I met my husband in third grade on the playground. We moved here so that our kids would go to the school that we grew up in.”
Despite her affection for the school, Walker said she supports the plan to close it.
"If I can look at this decision as someone who knows incredibly what this means to our community and what it means to so many families, and I can say, ‘I think this is the right decision,’ then it’s probably time,” an emotional Walker said.
Pinkerton’s closure would move the International Baccalaureate program and as many of its staff as possible to Wilson, Assistant Superintendent Angie Brooks said.
The district also wants to combine the dual language immersion program and Pre-K bilingual programs currently offered at Wilson and Denton Creek elementary schools into one school. Brooks said they would try to move as many dual language staffers to Denton Creek as possible, saving nearly $300,000.
“The district will ensure all Spanish learners that qualify for the program will also receive the transportation required per the state to meet their needs,” Brooks said.
Juan Gabriel Rolon, alumnus and parent of a Wilson student, said he’s worried it may lead to permanently getting rid of the dual language program.
"Moving the program from Wilson will disrupt a unique, diverse and inclusive community that has thrived for nearly a decade," Rolon said. "[Dual language immersion] families that live close to Wilson campus will face significant challenges with the proposed change."
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