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KCA students and parents urge board to preserve Keller Collegiate Academy as budget cuts loom
Summary
Multiple Keller Collegiate Academy students and parents told the board the program should be preserved through current cohorts, warning staff reductions and a possible phase-out would damage students' college opportunities and extracurricular access; presenters asked the board to consider grants and program yield when making budget cuts.
Several Keller Collegiate Academy students and parents told the Keller ISD board on Nov. 20 that cuts under consideration could dismantle the small district program and harm students' college and extracurricular prospects.
"We can only get one graduating class through the door before you propose to shut down," said a KCA junior who identified herself as Fiana, urging trustees to preserve programs and staff through the students' planned graduations so students would not lose promised opportunities and grant eligibility.
Other students and a parent described lost grant eligibility related to early-college status, reductions in staffing (noted as 0.5 FTE in remarks), and the effect on extracurriculars and college readiness. Anushka Girish, who said she is a KCA student, urged the board to maintain the status quo until current students can graduate and warned that moving students to other campuses would place them at a disadvantage for AP courses and extracurricular leadership.
Speakers requested clearer communication from administration about timelines and the district's planned approach to recruitment, staffing, and any phase-out. Trustees acknowledged the comments and said the administration would consider this input as it works on the budget and consolidation planning in January.
The comments came amid other meeting items that touched on budget pressure, including the superintendent's preview of a challenging budget cycle and a demographer's projections of declining enrollment that district staff said will shape facility decisions and long-range planning.
