CFB ISD board approves plan to consolidate four campuses and redraw attendance zones, 6-1

The Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-1 to approve a recommendation to consolidate Central Elementary, Forno Elementary, McCoy Elementary and Long Middle School and to adopt corresponding attendance-zone changes.

The vote came after more than two hours of public comment by parents, students and community members and a district presentation that said consolidation would reduce unused capacity and help address a multiyear funding shortfall. Board President Randy Shachman announced the tally as "six in favor and one opposed." The motion was seconded and carried.

The district presented the consolidation as a fiscal and operational move. Chris Moore, a district presenter, said the plan would reduce roughly 2,300 empty seats and, if implemented with fidelity, could realize an estimated $9 million in first-year savings and about $17 million in annual operating costs tied to the four campuses. The proposal also relies on demographic projections the district provided showing ongoing enrollment decline since 2018–19 and an expected drop of roughly 1,100 students over the next 10 years.

Why it matters: The board said the change is intended to preserve program quality across the district and to stabilize finances amid flat or declining state funding and rising local costs. Representative Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, who addressed the board during public comment, framed the issue as part of a larger state funding problem: "This isn't a district mismanagement issue. It's the failure of the Texas leadership to fulfill their duty under Article 7 of our Texas Constitution to sufficiently fund our neighborhood schools," she said.

What the plan does: The approved motion (as presented by the administration) will - Consolidate Central Elementary (Turner feeder), Forno Elementary (Creekview feeder), McCoy Elementary (Smith feeder) and Long Middle School. - Redraw elementary, middle and limited high-school attendance zones to balance utilization and improve transportation efficiency. - Relocate some programs: the administration said elementary LEAP will be located at Goode Elementary (a change made after parent feedback) and middle-school LEAP will remain at Perry for the 2025–26 school year; district staff said those program placements are district decisions and not part of the board vote.

Administration said the consolidation would enable the district to better staff schools, protect specialized programs (CTE, fine arts, athletics), and avoid a district-wide reduction-in-force by using attrition and reassignments. The Human Resources department released a "Strong Staff Transition Plan" outlining a staff-preference survey to open the day after board approval, a goal to notify reassigned employees by May 1, and welcoming/transition activities May 2–16. District staff said displaced campus employees would be placed at other campuses rather than central office whenever possible.

Public response: More than 20 speakers used the audience-for-guests period to urge trustees to delay or split the vote. Students from McCoy and Perry schools described programs and traditions they said would be lost; one sixth-grade speaker, Mia Ramirez of Perry Middle School, said, "We are here to advocate for a school that is far beyond a brick building." Parents and community advocates repeatedly asked the board to separate the four proposed closures into individual votes and to pause action on McCoy Elementary specifically, citing McCoy's test performance, transfer enrollment and community role. Several speakers and a public commenter warned of possible legal challenges citing civil-rights and open-records concerns.

Transportation and student safety: District staff said attendance-zone changes would be accompanied by a transfer process. The district reiterated it is required to provide transportation for students living two miles or more from their assigned campus; staff said they will declare hazardous routes where needed and provide transportation when students would otherwise be required to cross major six-lane thoroughfares (examples cited included BeltLine and Josie). Transportation modeling presented to trustees indicated the plan could add roughly 5–6 elementary bus routes and 5–6 middle-school routes but that routes could be shorter and more efficient overall.

Data and projections cited: The district's demographic analysis noted a sustained decline in enrollment (about 1,200 students since the 2018–19 school year) and a projection of roughly 1,100 additional decline over the next 10 years. The administration reported 9,800 empty seats across the district and estimated consolidation as proposed would reduce that to about 7,500 empty seats.

Financial context: Finance staff said personnel costs represent roughly 80% of the district's budget and that state funding has not kept pace with inflation; the district noted the Foundation School Program is complex and that local property wealth and state recapture affect net state aid. The district warned that projected savings do not guarantee fund-balance recovery and that legislative outcomes (including teacher compensation mandates being discussed at the state level) could affect the net fiscal result.

Board action and next steps: Trustees approved the motion to consolidate (6–1). The administration will open transfer applications March 24–May 9, with approvals based on space, attendance, academic performance and discipline history. Staff said they will prioritize grandfathering rising fifth graders (current fourth graders at impacted campuses) and will consider sibling placements and program continuity. Bond oversight and other statutory processes would govern any future sale or repurposing of property; the administration described the legal steps required before a district may sell property under Texas Education Code and local government code.

Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda (with exception of item 5F): motion to approve consent agenda without item 5F — approved unanimously by the board (vote recorded at the meeting). - Agenda item 5F (consent subitem): motion to approve item 5F — board approved; Board President Randy Shachman recused from that vote (recusal was recorded on the record). - Consolidation motion: motion to consolidate Central Elementary, Forno Elementary, McCoy Elementary and Long Middle School and adopt corresponding attendance-zone changes — approved 6–1 (board vote recorded by president Randy Shachman).

What the board did not vote on tonight: program relocations that the administration described (for example, some LEAP placements) were described as district staffing/placement decisions and were not themselves items for board approval in the motion. The board's approval was of the consolidation and attendant zone changes as presented.

The meeting concluded after the vote. The administration said it would proceed with the transfer timeline and staff transition plan if the consolidation proposal is implemented.