When would this closure/rezoning occur?

The district says that none of the draft proposals would go into effect before the 2027-2028 school year.  Presumably this means Park Crest would be closed and its students rezoned for the 2027-2028 school year if the draft passes the School Board Meeting on May 14th.

What arguments support voting against Park Crest closure?

1. Park Crest successfully meets 3 out of 4 district stated optimization priorities. The only school that meets all 4 priorities is Kelly Lane.  All  other middle schools meet 2, 1, or 0 priorities. SEE DATA TABLE BELOW.

2. While some students would move to 'A' rated Kelly Lane MS, many students move from a highly rated 'C' school ('B' in STAAR growth) to lower 'C' rated schools (with 'C's and 'D's in STAAR growth). Specifically, WHICH of PCMS's eco dis population would receive access to "higher" v. "lower" performing schools?

3. Park Crest is not the lowest achieving or the oldest building in the district. In fact, according to the data below, as well as optimization priority alignment, it is 2nd or (at worse) 3rd out of all 7 middle schools. SEE DATA TABLE BELOW.

4. Closing a centrally located, diverse school, and rezoning its students, will deepen the  east from west economic divide that already exists in PFISD. It's a move towards establishing schools of "the haves" and "the have nots."

5. Rezoning students may be inevitable, but it has to be thoughtfully planned to avoid issues surrounding equity, and factor in the cost of transportation. Draft proposal 7 is a premature action before rezoning has been adequately considered, and its impact analyzed.

7. Making decisions about closing schools, when other solutions do not yet have numbers, creates an unfair, imbalanced , and extremely limited perspective for the Board of Trustees. 

9. PCMS has the potential to attract students from within the district as well as outside of it.  This would result in an increased population and funding. With the appropriate marketing campaign PCMS could be the highlight of the district. It has been suggested that PFISD has less of a declining enrollment problem, and more of a PR problem.  

10. Unused capacity does not necessarily equate inefficiency or waste. Empty classrooms don't cost much if no repairs are needed. 

11. This closures could potentially lose the district money by parents selecting charter schools because of students going to lower performing schools. 

12. The Texas Legislator's Voucher Program has moved to a lottery system to determine who will and will not receive funds.  Closing successful schools, when it is likely students will return to PFISD because their families do not receive funds, doesn't ensure the community's quality of education.

13. Closing a neighborhood school decreases property value and, therefore, has a negative effect on Pflugerville businesses.

14. The data being considered is an exact mirror of middle schools' economically disadvantaged populations.  The less a school's eco dis numbers, the more successful it is on the numbers under analysis.  This begs the question: How fair and equitable is the data being considered in the first place? SEE DATA TABLE BELOW.

15. It appears, based on data put forth by the district, that Park Crest is under consideration due to its convenient location.  It's centrally located and therefore, in theory, easy to disperse its students.  How valid is 'convenience' a reason for closure?

What can parents, students, and/or community members do if they would like to see Park Crest continue?

Follow the simple steps below, or sign up to commit to a specific action.

 https://signup.com/go/cQboBBc

SIMPLE STEPS FOR ACTION

1. Enter feedback into PFISD Thought Exchange (as often as possible!). https://tinyurl.com/mvcjdpnu

2. Sign Petition.

    https://tinyurl.com/mmuhzhc6

3. Write Board of Trustees. 

Written communications can be delivered or mailed to 1401 W. Pecan, 78660, or email the following:

Chevonne.LorigoJohst@pfisd.net, Kelly.Daniel@pfisd.net, Charlie.Torres@pfisd.net, Alex.Okafor@pfisd.net, Renae.Mitchell@pfisd.net, Claudia.Yanez@pfisd.net, Jean.Mayer@pfisd.net 

4. See our One-Stop-Shop website for more information. 

     tiny.cc/sospcms

Why should people without school age children, or those enrolled in private or charter schools, care about this issue?

Even if you do not have children, your children are not yet school-aged, or your children attend a private or charter school, this issue affects you!  The research and numerous examples are clear: closing neighborhood schools negatively impacts home value which, in turn, negatively affects businesses and commerce.  If you want your property to retain its value, then you want the large school at the center of several neighborhoods to remain occupied by community families.  An empty school building, or a repurposed building, is not only unsightly or unseemly, it repels future buyers and hurts the home values of those already here.