BY SHELBIE HAMILTON
The context
What they’re saying
Looking ahead
The repurposing plan comes after years of strategic planning work by district officials and committees of over 200 community members. The EFAC was tasked with evaluating the 13 identified elementary campuses being consid- ered for closure based on various metrics, such as enrollment, building age, building capacity, geographic location and financial efficiency. Danielle Stafford, McNeil Parent Teacher Organization president, served on prior commit- tees, which she said prepared her to see campus closures happen “pretty rapidly,” she said. “I have seen the population dwindle in that building. … I knew that there was opportunity,” Stafford said of McNeil being repurposed. District enrollment grew rapidly in the late ‘90s before peaking at 24,300 students in 2017.
Some elementary campuses are expected to see student populations that approach facility capacities, but currently empty classrooms are expected to be used as students and teachers join new campuses. Average elementary class sizes are expected to remain between 18 to 22 students, with 22 being the largest elementary class size permitted by the Texas Education Agency. “There will be growing pains, maybe the carpool line,” MISD trustee Stephanie O’Dell said. “But there was a time when all of those schools were full and that was normal.” Pratt said he doesn’t anticipate additional facility closures will be needed based on the cost savings gained from the three-campus repurposing plan. How the facilities will be repurposed has not yet been determined as district officials are prioritizing the transition process for students and staff, but a plan is expected to be created prior to the end of the school year, Pratt said. “We don’t want to go through this again, and three [campuses] was the number that we felt would sustain us for a number of years,” Pratt said.
“It was a painful process, but we absolutely knew ... for the long-term sustainability of McKinney ISD, that it was the right thing to do,” SHAWN PRATT, MISD SUPERINTENDENT
“There’s a million ways this could have been handled so much better. … The silver lining is it has brought a fight into these parents, into making real changes within McKinney ISD and the school board.”
NIKKI STEITLE, WOLFORD PARENT AND PTA MEMBER
Fall 2023-early 2024: Strategic planning efforts by district and committee
“Kids are going to get the opportunity to meet even more amazing teachers and have the full impact of a fully staffed, supported building.” DANIELLE STAFFORD, MCNEIL PTO PRESIDENT
Fall 2024-spring 2025: Long Range Facility Planning Committee work underway
Sept. 15, 2025: Educational Facilities Alignment Committee created Nov. 5, 2025: Trustees vote to repurpose three schools based on EFAC recommendation Dec. 15, 2025: Trustees approve new attendance zones based on EFAC recommendation
“We moved back to go to Eddins. [That was] taken away from us, in my thoughts, without due process, without transparency,” CHARLES PARKER, EDDINS ALUMNI
To learn more about the transition plan and resources available, visit www.mckinneyisd.net/page/taking-care- of-students-and-families
August 2026: New attendance zones effective for the 2026-27 school year
SOURCE: MCKINNEY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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