Connally ISD will consolidate its elementary campuses this fall due to declining enrollment, district officials announced late last week.
The Connally Early Childhood Center, Connally Primary and Connally Elementary schools will consolidate at Connally Primary, located in Elm Mott, about 10 miles north of Waco.
The 1,967-student district — which is now under partial state control due to poor academic performance — announced its decision after a town hall to discuss grade realignment in early February.
The district said falling birth rates and declining enrollment led to the decision.
“You’re losing kids — to La Vega, McGregor, Midway, wherever, homeschool,” said Andrew Kim, the district’s state appointed conservator, at the Feb. 5 town hall. “…That’s not necessarily this school district issue. The state of Texas is experiencing declining enrollment of kids. Really the main culprit, one of the main culprits is birth rates. No one’s having kids anymore.”
The district also said it hopes the consolidation will help set a “solid foundation” for behavior and improve learning.
The three schools will be consolidated starting next year. The district, in a statement announcing the decision, said it will generate “significant opperational savings.”
Connally ISD parent Chris Meza was not surprised by the decision. He hopes the realignment helps increase standards at the district. Meza has also applied to be part of the district’s board of managers.
“I will send my children to school every day as this transition changes and as a parent, work with them through that,” Meza said. “And look forward to seeing the positive effects of the decisions that the admin is making for our children within my home. I’m looking forward to seeing those positive effects.”
Meza currently has a child at the early childhood center and a child at the primary school. Although he is aware about the facilities limitations at the elementary school, he is in support of the school district’s decision to consolidate.
“I think (the elementary school) has physical concerns,” Meza said. “I think it has operational concerns, and so I think they’ve weighed those options out, and have decided that consolidating and bringing in portable buildings is the best answer at this time.”
