District unveils school consolidation decision framework; trustees call for public transparency

Lubbock ISD officials presented a draft decision framework to guide potential future school consolidations, emphasizing a mix of quantitative and qualitative measures and the need for transparent public engagement.

Chief Innovation Officer Ken Casarez outlined the framework's purpose: "build a common understanding of purpose and goals on a decision making framework for potential future school consolidations and share this potential decision framework, and how it impacts the system," he said. Casarez said the framework would use a funnel approach: campuses meeting initial thresholds for overall enrollment, facility utilization and per-pupil spending would move to additional qualitative review, including feeder-pattern impacts, geography, program uniqueness and academic performance.

Casarez presented examples from other districts, including public-facing materials San Antonio uses to show utilization and cost-per-student metrics. Trustees urged a public and timely rollout. Trustee Curry suggested publishing a recurring campus “snapshot” and using a three-year average to avoid basing decisions on a single anomalous year; trustees discussed the possibility of a probationary period to give campuses time to respond to published metrics.

Trustees and staff said town halls and community feedback sessions will be scheduled in the fall to gather input; the district said it will refine the framework and return to the board for further guidance. Board members repeatedly emphasized transparency: making the data available publicly and giving campuses and families time to respond to early warnings.

The presentation did not itself close or approve changes; it was a staff briefing intended to solicit board direction and community input.