A vocal group of Allen ISD parents is ramping up pressure trying to stop a controversial rezoning plan from being approved.
The district is about to vote on proposed changes to its attendance boundary lines which would close two east side schools to help overcrowding on the west side.
Parents say they’ve been scouring the data for weeks and they say the district’s plan just isn’t adding up.
"Families being moved from Norten which is an A school to Boyd which is a C school," said Michelle Boren.
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Up against a state mandate to provide daylong kindergarten, budget troubles, overcrowding on the fast-growing west side and slowing enrollment on the east side, Allen ISD wants to move east side children out of Anderson and Roundtree elementary schools and re-purpose the buildings.
Boren says administration costs alone show her it’s not students or teachers who should be uprooted.
"The numbers tell us number one, our administration is bloated. We need to cut back on some administration," Boren said.
Demonstrations and heated board meetings earlier this fall led to the district making some boundary adjustments. But these parents say they only prevent more west side students from being moved than those on the east side.
"It is unfair to those kids who are special education, emergent bilingual and economically disadvantaged. And if you look on the west side of town and the kids who are being moved, they are almost all kids who live in apartments and townhomes, and I do not think that that is a mistake. I don’t think that’s an accident," said Barnard.
"Why make a plan that fails within the first two to three years?" asked Catherine Manning, who dissects data as an engineer and says she has scoured through the district's data and is concerned.
"I think their data has some poor assumptions and if you have poor assumptions then you make poor decisions off of poor data," Manning said.
These moms say they understand the district must confront growing pains, but everyone should feel them, more equally.
"Just stop. This is moving too fast vote on. Pause and work with us on something that is fair," said Barnard.
Allen ISD is expected to vote on this issue at its next meeting Monday night at 6:30, but not before hearing from parents one last time.
A district spokesman said they have heard from families who approved of the changes the district made to the map.
The district, which is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, provided the following statement.
"Since the beginning of this attendance boundary process, Allen ISD has been committed to receiving feedback from our community. Based on that input, the District made several updates to the originally proposed map, which has been well received by many families in the District. Rezoning a district is never an easy process, and we know that every family may not be happy with the results. Ultimately, Allen ISD must focus on the overall long-term success of the District for the benefit of all students."
And regarding the data:
"Allen ISD utilizes a third-party company that specializes in demographics and enrollment trends in the DFW area. Their previous forecasts have proven to be accurate, and we trust the data provided by these experts."
