LCISD trustees approve rezoning plans for multiple elementary openings after ABC and public input
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Summary
The Lamar CISD board approved zoning plans for Slivinski and Cantu (Option 1/1B) and for Becerra and Adams (Option 2/2B) with a fourth‑grade legacy option; the Becerra/Adams vote was 5–1. Parents from Simonton urged keeping children at Morgan Elementary citing much longer commutes to the new campus.
Trustees approved a set of rezoning plans for elementary schools as Lamar Consolidated ISD prepares to open four new campuses in 2026–2028.
The board voted to adopt Option 1 for the 2026–27 year and Option 1B for 2027–28 for Slivinski and Cantu elementary openings and allowed a fourth‑grade legacy so current fourth graders may remain at their campuses with parent transportation responsibility; that motion passed unanimously. Enrollment management said Option 1/1B provides the broadest capacity relief while offering a variant to address Simonton families’ travel‑distance concerns.
The board also approved rezoning for Becerra and Adams under the administration’s Option 2 (with the committee’s 2B variant discussed); that motion included a fourth‑grade legacy provision and passed 5–1, with one trustee recorded as opposed. Administration explained Option 2 balances enrollment and long‑term facility use, while members of the district’s Attendance Boundary Committee (ABC) pressed for choices that minimize splitting neighborhoods and repeated moves for the same students.
Public comment focused on the Simonton community’s preference to keep children at Morgan Elementary. Britney Pineda, a Morgan parent, said Simonton students currently travel about eight minutes to Morgan but would face routes closer to 30 minutes to the new campus and that a bridge failure and limited road access increase safety concerns. ‘‘Sending them to ES 40 would more than double the commute and require passage through busy intersections,’’ she said. An ABC petition of more than 60 Simonton residents was cited by committee members as a reason the ABC created Option 5; administration offered Option 1B as a compromise to reduce travel for Simonton families.
Board members discussed tradeoffs between minimizing disruption for particular neighborhoods and addressing capacity pressures across multiple campuses. Trustees and ABC members emphasized that growth is continuing in the district and that rezoning decisions anticipate further adjustments in coming years.
The board’s decisions will determine which neighborhoods are assigned to Slivinski, Cantu, Becerra and Adams for the 2026–2028 openings; the district will publish finalized maps and notify affected families with details on timelines and transportation responsibilities.
