The district said it will save $2 million by closing Valley View after the current school year and sending students to Barton Creek. Some families criticized the decision as shortsighted and rushed.
The Eanes ISD school board voted Tuesday to close Valley View Elementary and send students to Barton Creek Elementary starting next school year.Tuesday to close Valley View Elementary as part of an effort to reduce an estimated $6.5 million budget deficit. District officials said closing the campus, which is currently at 50% of its operational capacity, will save $2 million.
Other parents said they had lost trust in the board and that the district should have planned better to prevent the closure, since enrollment at the elementary-level had been declining for a while. Board President James Spradley said trustees will get monthly updates on plans to consolidate Valley View and Barton Creek.
Eanes ISD administrators said discontinuing the program after the current school year would save $600,000, but parents disputed that figure. In an effort to save the program, families launched a fundraising campaign to help cover the operating costs. Christine Curry has two first graders in Spanish immersion, who she said love the program. She said she was devastated the board voted to eliminate it even with the promise of financial support. She said it's also disappointing some trustees questioned the validity of the pledges.
"We know people who drive over an hour, one-way, to come for our program," she said,"and when you're going to cut this program, you're going to lose all those transfer students."
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