Pflugerville ISD parents ask school board to save their schools amid potential school rezoning

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - Right before the Thursday night school board meeting started, students and parents waited outside the school district admin building to ask board members to keep their schools open.

Parents and students chanted in English and Spanish "Save our school."

Pflugerville ISD had 10 proposals to change attendance boundaries in the new school year, which means potentially closing several elementary schools. 

During Thursday night's meeting, the district decided to move forward with elementary plans 2, 3, and 8. That means Dessau, Parmer Lane, and River Oaks could still be on the chopping block. However, PFISD is still analyzing those proposals.

"No solo es escuelas suyas es escuela mia lo van cerrar porque quiero es escuela de todos es escuela de los padres los maestros los ninos ninos chiquitos," said third-grader Alessandra.

"It's not just their schools, it's my school, they're going to close it, but I don't want to. It's everyone's school, it's the parents' school, the teachers, the children, little children," said third-grader Alessandra.

Third-grade student Alessandra said in Spanish, the school board needs to know it's not just their school, it's her school, too.

The school district said a reason why they might close several schools is because of the state's education funding system and enrollment is low.

"If Parmer Lane closes, they're going to rezone 460 students to meet a goal of 60 more students," said a concerned Parmer Lane elementary school teacher.

Parents previously voiced their concerns to the board about this decision.

"With traffic it takes more time, so you have to wake up your child up earlier, and you have to get yourself up earlier, and it's going to make a change in people's lives," said a concerned father of three boys who go to River Oaks.

Teachers are concerned that rezoning hundreds of kids could negatively impact the kids' learning.

"I would never teach in a room of 28 kindergartners, that sounds like a nightmare, and I'm sure a lot of learning won't happen there," said a teacher from Parmer Lane.

"A lot of those students are dual language which in some of the schools they're going to they don't have dual language programs," another Parmer Lane teacher said.