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Judson ISD trustees vote to keep three campuses open after large public outcry
Summary
After hours of public comment and debate, the Judson ISD board voted unanimously to withdraw proposed closures of Judson Middle School, Candlewood Elementary/ STEM Academy and Franz Leadership Academy; the board had earlier discussed broad budget cuts to close a multi‑million dollar deficit.
The Judson Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to keep Judson Middle School, Candlewood Elementary (including Candlewood STEM Academy) and Franz (Ed Franz) Leadership Academy open for the 2025–26 school year after several hours of public testimony and board discussion.
The vote followed a packed public‑comment period in which parents, teachers, students and community leaders urged trustees not to close neighborhood campuses. “If you close our doors you’re also closing the STEM pipeline we purposefully developed on the South Side of Judson,” Rochelle Diaz, principal of Candlewood Elementary and Candlewood STEM Academy, told the board.
The board’s formal actions: trustees passed motions not to close Judson Middle School, Candlewood Elementary/ STEM Academy and Franz Leadership Academy; each motion passed 7–0. The motions were made and voted during the special meeting; no campus closure was ordered.
Why it mattered: district staff had presented school closures as one option to reduce a projected multi‑million dollar deficit. Community speakers said closures would disrupt students’ routines, lengthen commutes, reduce access to on‑site services (including school‑based food and clothing programs) and risk losing recently awarded grants and capital improvements.
Many speakers described specific local programs they said would be lost if campuses closed. Carrie Savage, principal of Franz Leadership Academy, noted the school’s Leader in Me program and community partnerships; Rochelle Diaz cited a state “lasso” learning‑acceleration grant that funds Candlewood’s new STEM design. Parents, PTO representatives and students said the schools provide wrap‑around supports — food pantries, after‑school clubs, special education units and tutoring programs — that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere in the district.
Trustees and staff acknowledged that the district faces a structural budget shortfall and that difficult choices remain. Superintendent Milton Fields reviewed the district’s financial forecast earlier in the meeting and described the deficit scenarios that prompted the list of possible reductions and consolidations.
Board members who opposed closures said the financial assumptions required more study and more public engagement. Trustee Mesias Macias moved that the board not close the campuses; the motion was seconded and carried, 7–0.
What the board did not do: the board did not implement any campus reassignments, staff layoffs, or boundary changes at the meeting. Trustees said those steps would require separate agenda items with specific proposals and impact analyses, and they indicated the district would provide additional details before any future vote on closures.
Public context and next steps: dozens of speakers testified at the meeting, including students who pleaded to keep their neighborhood schools open and teachers who cited neighborhood supports and recent capital investments. Several speakers and trustees urged the community to engage state lawmakers about school funding. District leadership said it will continue to review budget options and present additional information to the board.
The board meeting also included separate agenda business on architectural selections tied to prior bonds and other budget items; trustees approved one bond‑related design selection later in the evening (6–1).
