CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi Independent School District is considering closing seven schools to help address a $27 million budget deficit caused by declining enrollment.
The district announced the potential closures Thursday afternoon, citing a loss of 4,000 to 5,000 students since 2020 and the condition of some school facilities.
"We're sad. We're sad, my kids are sad," said Raylene Cisneros, a grandmother of students at Sanders Elementary, one of the schools being considered for closure.
The deficit has increased by $5 million from last year due to continued enrollment losses. Superintendent Dr. Roland Hernandez said the district would save nearly $11 million if all seven campuses were closed.
"I want my girls where they're comfortable with. And they're comfortable with the staff here and everything so its a devastating blow that they're going to have to move," Cisneros said.
The district presented facility usage percentages to help determine which schools could accommodate displaced students. Dr. Hernandez said the schools being considered for closure have significant available space.
"Because the schools are being considered, these are the schools that have a lot of space. So even taking in one school, sometimes two, they'd still be at 80, 90 percent capacity," Dr. Hernandez said.
Transportation concerns have been addressed in the planning process, according to the superintendent.
"How do you address those concerns? Yeah, that's a very valid concern, and that is something we kept at the forefront of all of our conversations. Transportation will be provided to all of our students," Dr. Hernandez said.
Parents and community members like Cisneros praised the staff at schools facing potential closure.
WATCH THE CCISD BOARD MEETING HERE:
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DR. HERNANDEZ HERE:
The district has developed multiple closure scenarios for the school board to consider after receiving community feedback. Dr. Hernandez did confirm the closure of all seven schools is eventually inevitable.
"One of the plans involves just the elementary schools, another just the middle schools, then the third with 3 middle schools, our board can decide after the feed back," Dr. Hernandez said.
The first community input session is scheduled for December 8. Whether the closures would take effect in August 2026 remains to be determined based on community feedback and board decisions.
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