McKinney ISD is the latest North Texas school district to face school closures as student enrollment dips.
The McKinney school board Wednesday night voted unanimously to “repurpose” Eddins, McNeil, and Wolford elementary schools in order to save money amid a multi-million dollar budget deficit.
Superintendent Shawn Pratt said the district faced a $23 million deficit just two years ago and personnel were laid off in central office reductions. The deficit fell by $15 million, but Pratt, who’s served the district for more than 30 years, said campus inefficiencies persisted, and the only option was to close schools.
“I love this school district. I love the people and I love this community,” he said. “It's not something I ever wanted to do. And I hope this day would never come. Unfortunately, it is here.”
Unhappy parents, including Mandy Crockett, protested the closures during Wednesday’s meeting. Her daughter attends Wolford.
“I'm here tonight because Wolford has been so much more than a school for us. It's been a second home,” Crockett said. “In May, my husband Jordan was in an accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Our world changed overnight, but through it all, Wolford had been our light.”
McKinney will close the campuses ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
Several other districts around North Texas have had to close schools in recent years, including Irving, Richardson, and more recently, Frisco ISD, which voted last month to close a middle school.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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