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Residents urge council to stay engaged after LISD votes to close Highland Village Elementary
Summary
Following the LISD board vote to close Highland Village Elementary, residents told council they fear a vacant building, safety and traffic impacts and asked the city to press for traffic studies and ensure careful reuse of the site.
Highland Village residents urged the city council on Dec. 10 to stay involved after the Lewisville Independent School District voted to close Highland Village Elementary.
Mayor Wilcox opened the meeting by saying she was "deeply saddened by the recent announcement of the Highland Village Elementary closure," and described the school as a community cornerstone. She told council she would work with residents and local leaders "to honor Highland Village Elementary's legacy and ensure that the needs of our families and students remain a top priority."
During public comment, resident Matt Insulin (DoubleTree) said the district's vote to close the school was "a battle worth fighting." Insulin told council he studied the district's elementary schools and warned that if the building ceases to be an LISD facility and is repurposed, reuse could raise zoning, traffic and safety issues for the neighborhood. "Should this property cease to exist as an LISD building ... becoming a zoning item, ... it will require more surveillance than an occupied building would," he said, and urged the city to press for traffic studies and continued oversight.
Insulin said drop-off the morning after the district vote had been "somber" and asked council for guidance on how citizens can "heavily encourage" the state to consider safety measures such as a traffic light and to press the district for traffic studies.
Council members acknowledged the emotional impact on families and noted the city’s limited authority over school-district property, but flagged transportation and safety follow-ups: one council member raised the option of requesting a new traffic study for the Barnett/Briar Hill corridor and discussed the potential to reduce the school-zone speed limit.
What’s next: Council asked staff to research options for traffic studies and possible school-zone speed adjustments and to report back; the council did not take formal action on the school property’s future, which remains under LISD control.
