SAN ANTONIO – North East Independent School District and Judson Independent School District are both preparing to consolidate schools.
NEISD’s superintendent announced Tuesday that the district is considering consolidating three of its schools. The three proposed schools would be Clear Springs Elementary, Wilshire Elementary and Driscoll Middle School.
A Wilshire Elementary parent told KSAT she hopes her child doesn’t have to move schools because they’ve already built a community at Wilshire.
“It’s a bit upsetting,” parent Sarah Chappell said. “We really like the campus here. It’s close by. It’s a small campus. Everybody has known each other for the last couple of years. The kids are growing up together, and it’s really confusing. Definitely abrupt. I’m not quite sure where we’re going to end up as of right now.”
A similar topic was discussed at the Judson ISD Board Workshop on Wednesday night. The board is looking for ways to cut costs and improve utilization of its campus buildings. However, those efforts could come with students and faculty members being moved to other campuses.
The Judson ISD Board met to discuss recommendations from its Growth and Planning Committee. Several big changes could go into effect for the 2025-2026 school year.
One of the changes could be phasing out the Spanish immersion program at Wortham Elementary School. Several students disagreed with the proposed changes to the program and how it currently operates, considering it sets their elementary school apart from others.
Coronado Village Elementary students and the dual language program could be moving to the newly-built Selma Elementary School. Judson Middle School’s competitive JSTEM program could also move to Kitty Hawk Middle School.
The program’s students and faculty would move to Kitty Hawk as well.
“We have lunch with these kids and we’re with them and we’re friends with them,” student Mercedes Weakland said. “If you separate us from that, it’s like taking us away from part of our family.”
Weakland is a seventh-grade JSTEM student. She’s part of the program at Judson Middle School. The year the changes are set to take place would be her eighth-grade year, and it could be without the students and teachers she has come to know at Judson Middle School.
The purpose of the move to Kitty Hawk Middle School is to balance out the number of students at each school due to low enrollment.
Weakland’s mom said she understands the reasoning but that the consequences outweigh any positives.
“My concern is for the students that would be moving away from electives, teachers, band, athletics — all the different things that they have worked really hard to reach,” Tammy Weakland said. “If they move over to a new middle school, they’re going to lose all of that.”
Changes aren’t official yet, but the emotions behind what could be are already settling in.
“The thought of it gives me really bad anxiety,” Mercedes Weakland said. “I know that it gives my friends really bad anxiety, too.”
The Judson ISD School Board will have a regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 19 where the board is set to decide on consolidation efforts.
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