Education
BY MICHAEL CROUCHLEY
Plano ISD officials outline transition plans for closing schools
SPRING CREEK PKWY.
Plano ISD staff are making plans in preparation for the closure of four campuses following the 2024-25 school year. The gist The PISD board of trustees received an update on transition plans for students, families, staff and facilities impacted by the upcoming closures of Armstrong Middle School, Carpenter Middle School, Davis Elementary School and Forman Elementary School during its Oct. 22 work session. According to a staff presentation, priorities for the transition include engaging impacted students and families; retaining highly effective staff impacted by closures; and reassigning bus routes for eligible students. Staff also laid out specific plans in the following areas: • Moving the Regional Day School for the Deaf from Davis to Harrington Elementary • Transfer guidelines for impacted students • Packing and moving for teachers and staff • Safety and security adjustments • Planning legacy committees to honor the history of the closing campuses The action taken The board of trustees also approved an interlocal agreement with the city of Plano, which outlines the process to sell Armstrong, Davis and Forman to the city following the 2024-25 school year. PISD Deputy Superintendent Johnny Hill said all four buildings are set to be demolished. Armstrong, Davis and Forman will then be sold to the city, while Carpenter will be held by the school district. According to the agreement, the sale must be completed by August 2025. The district and city will both receive separate appraisals on the property and draft a sales contract based on “fair market value,” Hill said. Hill added that the board of trustees will then have final say on the sales contracts. “We can take these community assets and ensure that they continue to be community assets,” trustee Lauren Tyra said. What parents should know The window to apply for a school transfer within the district for the 2025-26 school year will open on Jan. 6, with students impacted by closures set to receive priority on applications. Students who are set to transfer to a different school due to boundary adjustments, but would
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like to stay at their current campus, will still need to apply for a transfer for the 2025-26 school year, and will receive top priority, according to the presentation. Transfer applications received between Jan. 6-27 will receive a decision by the end of February 2025, while families who apply after Jan. 27 will not receive a decision until June. A full breakdown of transfer guidelines and priority can be found on PISD’s website. Transportation will also continue to be provided to all students who live outside of two miles from their campus. The district’s route finder can be found online, and will be updated for the 2025-26 school year by July or August. What else? Several accommodations are being made to pre- pare Harrington to house the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf, which is currently at Davis. The Harrington site plan and floor plan are being updated to include the following changes: • A new 60-space parking lot • Adjusted drop-off and pick-up locations • “Deaf Children at Play” signs on surrounding streets • New synthetic turf playgrounds to replace existing upper and lower unit playgrounds • More designated deaf education classrooms • Acoustical improvements to corridors, gym, cafeteria, PACE, art and music classroom • Wayfinding graphics throughout the campus • Visual alert and notification system • Technology enhancements for accommodations and accessibility Along with the physical updates to the campus,
Current enrollment at the four closing campuses is as follows: 564 students 1 Armstrong Middle School:
329 students 507 students
2 Carpenter Middle School:
3 Davis Elementary School:
542 students
4 Forman Elementary School:
2,378 total students are currently set to move campuses as a result of the closures or corresponding attendance boundary adjustments.
SOURCE: PLANO ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
PISD staff is offering sign language classes and a sign language club, along with other opportunities for students and families at Harrington to learn more about deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Staff impacted by the transition will also receive professional learning through fall 2025. “One of the biggest challenges that we’re facing right now is how to not only make [Harrington] where it can take on the program, but how can we enhance it and make it better,” Hill said. What’s next? No recommendations were made regarding the west cluster in May due to the area’s already high capacity and unpredictable growth. Any approved changes in the west cluster will also be imple- mented at the beginning of next school year. Additional recommendations related to schools that feed into Plano West Senior High School will be presented to the board in December.
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