September 17, 2024
Dear Coppell ISD Community,
As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency throughout this process, I am sharing this update on the September 16 Board Workshop, where CISD Trustees continued their discussions on consolidation options. During last night’s workshop, CISD Trustees determined that they would remove the option that consolidates Austin Elementary. They also decided to remove the option that would consolidate New Tech High @ Coppell with the stipulation that the staff develop a plan to increase enrollment and efficiency at that campus.
The remaining options for consideration are:
Consolidate Pinkerton with Wilson and Austin
Consolidate Pinkerton students into Wilson and Austin
Move the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
Move Dual Language Immersion (DLI) and BIL (Bilingual) Pre-K program
Level Pre-K enrollment districtwide
Adjust Denton Creek Elementary attendance zones to Town Center, Cottonwood Creek and Lakeside based on enrollment
Net Cost Savings — $2.1 million
Consolidation of Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program
Consolidate DLI into one campus for efficiency
Net Cost Savings — $288,000
Leveling Pre-K
Leveling Pre-K — Efficiency in class sizes, neighborhood schools for students
Level Pre-K enrollment districtwide
Also at the September 16 Board Workshop, CISD Trustees received the following additional information:
Update on Fund Balance and Budget Deficit: The district's fund balance is crucial for maintaining operations, particularly during the September to December period when tax revenues are not yet collected. CISD must keep a fund balance of approximately four months of expenditures to have enough cash on hand to pay teachers and staff, as well as meet other operating expenses. Future projections indicate that the district may not meet its minimum cash flow needs by 2026-2027, which could impact its credit rating and increase costs for issuing bonds. As of today, the district anticipates reaching a budget deficit of $6.8 million for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
CISD Expenditure Reduction and Revenue Generation: To address the deficit, CISD has implemented various cost-cutting measures and revenue generation strategies. This includes reducing positions through attrition, cutting district-level expenses and lowering the budget for student competitions, shuttles, custodial services and more. Revenue generation strategies include expanding open enrollment, increasing facility rental fees and pay-to-ride bus fees, launching an attendance campaign and the Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE).
CISD Enrollment and Enrollment Trends: Demographic projections post-pandemic indicate a decline in enrollment, particularly at the elementary level, which has returned to 2018-2019 levels. The U.S. is projected to have 3 million fewer K-12 students attending public school by 2031 than it did in 2013. Texas is projected to see a 9% decrease in public school enrollment by 2031. Richard J. Lee and Canyon Ranch Elementary were built to address enrollment growth in the southern portion of the district. Elementary campus utilization drops below 75 % if there is no action taken on consolidation.
Cypress Waters Development: The Cypress Waters development excludes single-family homes and focuses on multi-family housing and is expected to take 15-20 years to reach full build-out, with an average addition of 250 new apartments per year. Cypress Waters has restrictions requiring that at least 75% of the multi-family units have no more than one bedroom, limiting the potential for large families. In terms of its impact on CISD enrollment, the overall student yield from multi-family housing across the district is .436, but Cypress Waters produces a lower yield of .194 students per household. Currently, 573 students from Cypress Waters attend CISD schools, with about half enrolled in elementary schools, most at Lee Elementary. The remaining students are split evenly between middle and high schools. The relatively low student yield and the nature of the housing restrictions suggest that Cypress Waters will have a limited long-term impact on student enrollment growth in CISD.
Elementary and Secondary Class Sizes: In general, average class sizes will not increase due to school consolidations. Class sizes in Pre-K to 4th are based on the 22:1 teacher staffing ratio, while 5th grade is based on a 25:1 teacher staffing ratio. Secondary classes have about a 30:1 teacher staffing ratio for core classes. Currently New Tech High @ Coppell has 49 % of its classes with less than 15 students, while CHS has 7 % and CHS9 has 8 % of their classes with less than 15 students.
International Baccalaureate, Dual Language Immersion (DLI), and Pre-K Update: Trustees received an update on the possible movement of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to Wilson Elementary including the impact on DLI staff at Wilson, the IB staff and Pinkerton and other staff members. They also received information about the impact on students and the transition to the IB program. They also discussed the DLI programs at both Denton Creek and Wilson. In addition, information was shared on how Pre-K enrollment would also be leveled district-wide, prioritizing the locations for early childhood programs across feeder patterns, so more of these learners attend school closer to their home campus.
New Tech High @ Coppell: Trustees received historical data on the enrollment at New Tech High @ Coppell and overall high school enrollment, as well as the choice programs offered at the high school levels and CISD school choice marketing efforts.
Trustees were also presented with pros, cons and considerations for not consolidating any schools.
I encourage you to stay informed by watching the video of the workshop available at www.coppellisd.com/o/cisd/page/board-meeting-video. The full presentation is available online at https://5il.co/2wuk3. For a deeper understanding of our budget challenges, as well as access to all previous communications, presentations, and a Frequently Asked Questions document, please visit www.coppellisd.com/budget. We also welcome your feedback and questions at input@coppellisd.com.
Trustees are set to make their decision at the Monday, September 30 Board Meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.
I also want to share information about Wednesday’s Town Hall in the CHS9 Auditorium, located at 1301 Wrangler Circle in Coppell.
Information on Speaking at the September 18 Town Hall in the CHS9 Auditorium
Anyone wishing to speak at the September 18 Town Hall must sign up in advance. The sign-up period begins at 5:30 p.m. and ends promptly at 6:15 p.m. Each speaker will have between 1 minute to 90 seconds to speak, depending on the number of speakers, so we ask that you plan accordingly.
The Town Hall will begin at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. All attendees must park in the North lot located off of Wrangler Drive and State Champions Parkway and enter through the Auditorium doors. The front parking lot can serve as overflow parking. Please do not enter the campus from the front or back doors but only through the entrance near the Auditorium. See the map below for parking details.
