By Edmond Ortiz
Judson Independent School District will be closing Franz and Rolling Meadows elementary schools and Park Village Blended Learning Academy after the end of the current academic year.
What you should know
The Judson ISD school board voted 5-2 on Feb. 24 to approve administrators’ proposal to shutter those campuses; the vote comes eight days after trustees voted to close Judson Middle School.
Several district officials said deciding to close these four campuses is a difficult yet necessary move to cut a budget deficit that stands at more than $35 million.
According to JISD administrators, Franz, Rolling Meadows and Park Village are among the least utilized elementary school facilities when it comes to comparing current student enrollment with capacity.
Administrators projected that student enrollment at each affected campus will not improve, and could actually decrease by 2030.
District officials said, given the costs of needed repairs and other improvements at Franz, Park Village and Rolling Meadows, it will save Judson ISD $7 million to close the three campuses. Franz is the oldest of the targeted facilities at 57 years old. Park Village was built in 1978; Rolling Meadows first opened in 2009.
According to preliminary plans, JISD will rezone Rolling Meadows students to Selma Elementary School. Students from Ed Franz will be moved to the Fine Arts Academy at Olympia and Crestview Elementary School. Park Village students will be relocated to Hartman and Paschall elementary schools.
What they are saying
Administrators said the next steps in school consolidation will include the establishment of transition teams to help with such things as addressing unique school-based programs, the publication of transition timelines, the redrawing of attendance zones and bus routes, and communications with affected employees and families.
According to administrators, closing multiple schools is not a decision they take likely, but a necessary step to help reduce the budget shortfall.
Judson ISD officials added that they must find ways to make their remaining campuses competitive while competition from neighboring public school districts, charter schools and homeschools is contributing to a dwindling JISD student population.
The district’s current enrollment is 22,487, a drop of 210 students from the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Total district enrollment is projected to dip further below 22,600 next school year.
Assistant Superintendent Lacey Gosch said the district is already hearing from not only parents whose children presently attend one of the schools on the closure list, but from parents at campuses whose student populations will grow due to consolidation.
“We will also begin the process of launching a district website that will provide frequently asked questions, provide the moving logistics, and really share how we’re helping to support our faculty members and our campuses, and helping their students feel welcome at the individual sites,” she added.
Several audience members, primarily Rolling Meadows students, parents and staff, advocated against closing schools and for at least sparing their campus.
Some speakers said multiple school closures could further demoralize JISD families and employees, and prompt many community members and school workers to seek opportunities outside the district.
Fifth-grader Miriam Omar said she and classmates at Rolling Meadows participate in multiple academic programs designed to help them cultivate various skills that they eventually learn to use positively in the community.
“All these programs together make Rolling Meadows a place where students feel safe, supported, and excited to learn,” Omar said. “Closing our school would mean losing these opportunities that help shape who we are becoming.”
Trustee Jose Macias sought to not approve closing Rolling Meadows, citing the wealth of support for the school from employees and community members, but his motion was defeated.
Macias argued that JISD closing a total of four schools at the end of this academic year will spark much disruption. He also said the school board, overall, has not adequately discussed the budget deficit, and has failed to explore options that could keep the district from shutting down several campuses.
Macias and trustee Laura Stanford voted against the motion to close Franz, Park Village and Rolling Meadows. They both expressed interest, at the least, in shuttering only two campuses, but other trustees agreed the district needed to move forward with even more closures.
“I absolutely hate the idea of losing any of our schools,” trustee Suzanne Kenoyer said. “But what means more to me is making sure that this district can be functional, and that we can provide for all our students.”
