The school board for Aldine ISD anticipates voting in February on whether to eliminate seven campuses as the district continues to struggle financially due to dwindling enrollment and a lack of significant improvements in state funding.
During a board workshop on Tuesday, district administrators suggested that trustees close four elementary schools, a middle school, and two early education campuses before the 2025–2026 academic year. According to administrators, a variety of variables were taken into account while selecting the campuses, including academic ratings, facility difficulties, student demographics, and current enrollment numbers.
Leaders in Aldine, the sixth-largest district in the Houston area, will vote on whether to close some of its about 75 schools for the second consecutive year. In February 2024, the board of trustees for the district decided to close three elementary schools and transfer children to other campuses for the current academic year.
Don’t miss the next big story
To receive the stories you need about the city you love every weekday morning, sign up for The Launchpad.
The district plans to close lower-enrollment schools and transfer children to schools with more space in order to maximize its resources, and the most recent proposal is part of that plan. The majority of the sites that were suggested for closure are among Aldine’s smallest institutions.
The following seven schools should be closed, according to district administrators:
- Stovall EC/PK/K School
- De Santiago EC/PK/K School
- Eckert Elementary School
- Oleson Elementary School
- Raymond Elementary School
- Smith Elementary School
- Hoffman Middle School
As the district continues to lose students and money, district leaders realized they would have to make difficult choices in 2025, according to Aldine Superintendent LaTonya Goffney. According to district officials, the seven school closures could result in an annual savings of $32.5 million for the district.
From Buffalo Bayou Partnership, a message
Visit Cistern Illuminated in Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern this holiday season to experience peace and quiet. Kelly O. Brien, a Houston-based artist and engineer, created a calming sequence of light and sound that transforms 221 concrete pillars above sparkling water.
To learn more about this special Houston holiday event, go to buffalobayou.org.
Houston Landing is grateful for its sponsors.Become one now.
According to Goffney, this is our second year of assessing how we can best utilize our schools and carry on doing so in a way that respects our community, advances us, and keeps us in a better position.
Between 2023 and 2024, Aldine’s enrollment dropped from around 70,000 students to about 58,000. Declining birth rates, fewer families residing in the district, and the expansion of charter schools in northern Harris County are the main causes of the change. In 2023–2024, around 6,500 children from Aldine’s limits attended charter schools, compared to roughly 2,400 ten years prior.
However, despite rising costs due to inflation, Aldine has not seen a substantial increase in state financing in recent years. Aldine’s general fund, which pays for regular expenses like building maintenance and teacher salaries, saw a $65 million shortfall in 2023–2024. The school also approved a budget in June that included a projected $98 million deficit.
With almost $400 million in a rainy day reserve that increased dramatically during the pandemic as a result of federal stimulus funds distributed to schools nationwide, the district is still financially stable.
Not where we want to be : Aldine ISD students, staff struggling under district leadership
by Staff Writers Miranda Dunlap and Angelica Perez
The district is preparing a continuous endeavor to maximize and optimize our district that will last into 2025, according to Adrian Bustillos, Aldine’s chief transformation officer.
According to Bustillos, this is neither a one-year strategy or a one-time repair. We will keep going through that process until we can stabilize enrollment and ensure that we can make the most of our building use. This is Year Two.
Despite the fact that closing schools is sometimes one of the most challenging and contentious decisions a school board must make, Aldine officials faced no public backlash for their action last year. This time, Trustee Viola Garca stressed the value of community involvement and educating families about the consequences of closures.
Noting how school closures are impacting districts throughout Texas, Garc stated that communities are experiencing a sense of abandonment.In recent years, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex’s San Antonio ISD, Spring Branch ISD, and Lewisville ISD have all closed campuses, citing financial constraints as the cause.
How are Texas public schools funded? And do they get equal money?
by Brooke Kushwaha, a writer on staff
In light of diminishing enrollment, Garc an advised district employees and other board members to think about options other than closing schools.
“I don’t want to be a part of a conversation where we just assume that we will continue to lose students without talking more about very serious initiatives that try to stop that loss,” Garc a remarked.
Although the dates and locations have not yet been made public, district administrators intend to have community meetings in the upcoming weeks to talk about the closure idea. The week prior to the February 25 decision to close schools, Aldine trustees also intend to host another board workshop.
In order to notify families about the closures before the 2025–2026 school year, the district will start holding community meetings if the board accepts its recommendations. In order to alleviate overcrowding, the plan also calls for transferring an estimated 265 pupils from Dunn Elementary School to Calvert Elementary School.
Republish this narrative
Our stories can be republished in print or online for free.
Republish this article
The Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License governs this work.
Aldine ISD leaders propose closing 7 schools, vote scheduled for late February
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
