BY HANNAH JOHNSON
Prosper ISD adjusts attendance zones
CISD voters approve tax rate election Celina ISD voters approved the district’s tax rate election with 54.56% of votes in favor. Diving in deeper Maintenance and operations, also known as M&O, funds the operation of schools. This includes teacher and staff salaries, safety and security, and academic programming. The district’s total tax rate will be $1.2358 per $100 valuation, since approved by voters. This is broken down between $0.7869 for maintenance and operations and $0.4489 for debt payments. This is the sixth year district officials have approved the lower tax rate. Why it matters The voter-approved tax rate election, also known as a VATRE, would provide an esti- mated $1.85 million to assist maintenance and operation funds for the district. The district’s board of trustees approved a $87.82 million budget with a $1.94 million shortfall in June.
"We are the fastest growing district in the area [and] the west side of the district is the fastest growing portion." GREG BRADLEY, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT
Prosper ISD’s school attendance boundaries will look different for the 2025–26 school year as the district continues to grow. The district’s board of trustees approved the boundaries for elementary and middle schools Nov. 19. Put in perspective The district did not have any schools on the west side of the Dallas North Tollway in 2016, Deputy Superintendent Greg Bradley said during an Oct. 21 board meeting. This next year, PISD will have 10 schools on the west side. About 75% of Texas school districts have less than 3,000 students while the district is growing by 3,000 students a year, Bradley said. “We’re growing a district a year,” he said. What’s happening? The boundaries for elementary, middle school and high schools will shift as the district is opening four new schools in the next school year. This includes: • Jana Thomson Elementary Prosper ISD OK’s academic calendar After receiving parent and teacher feed- back, PISD officials approved the academic calendar for the 2025-26 school year. In a nutshell The calendar includes 85 days in the fall semester and 86 days in the spring semester. Important dates to note in the calendar are: • Aug. 12, first day of school • Dec. 22-Jan. 6, 2025, winter break • May 20, last day of school Students will also have a fall break from Oct. 10-13. Unlike the 2024-25 calendar, next year’s calendars will not have half days or early release days as the calendar committee considered parent’s work schedules and children being home alone during that time.
• Virgie Smotherman Elementary • Pete Moseley Middle • Richland High
Zoning for the middle schools was challenging as the district is opening Moseley next year and then two additional middle schools will be open- ing in the 2026-27 school year, Bradley said. Students in the Creeks of Legacy, Legacy Gardens and Star Trail neighborhoods that are currently zoned to Reynolds Middle School will be allowed to remain at the campus, but families must provide their own transportation. Attendance zones for high schools were set by the board in June. Students who are zoned for Richland High and will be in grades 9-11 in the 2025-26 school year will attend the new school. Seniors can choose to remain at Prosper High School or elect to move to Richland High. Frisco ISD opens area student enrollment Frisco ISD is opening up some of its campuses for students who live outside the district—an initiative that could generate about $6.75 million in revenue. Access Frisco will allow kindergarten through seventh grade students from surrounding areas to attend Frisco ISD schools starting in the 2025-26 school year. Opening campuses up for outside enrollment will help fill classrooms with low enrollment. The district has about 900 open seats available across all the campuses in the kindergarten through seventh grade window, said Albert Leal, FISD’s managing director of student services. Open campuses were selected based on their capacity. The approach Students in the program will be required to reapply every year. This allows the district to
Application deadline Frisco ISD will have two application windows for the program. Applications received by the district’s priority deadline will be entered into a lottery pool.
Dec. 16 Jan. 14
Jan. 10 Jan. 24
Priority applications
Regular applications
SOURCE: FRISCO ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
determine if they are still eligible for the program and meet the district’s academic, behavioral and attendance standards. Students can be removed from the program if they do not meet the eligibil- ity requirements. The district will consider expanding the grade levels for the program in future years. Opening enrollment is a growing trend, Leal said, with 12 neighboring districts offering open enrollment in some way, including Plano, Dallas, Coppell and Lewisville ISDs.
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PROSPER - CELINA EDITION
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