On Monday night, the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees witnessed both opposition and celebration over the span of a single meeting.
All seats were filled in the board room more than 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the meeting, forcing additional guests to stand in the overflow room.
Forty-seven speakers signed up to speak during the open forum, primarily in opposition to the Board’s consideration of consolidating Town Center Elementary.
“When we heard the news that the school was being considered for closure, we thought there had to have been a mistake,” Town Center parent Brent Billington said. “Thirty of us really dove into the weeds to figure out how this decision came to be, what the data says and how we can help the board make sure they have all the data.”
Speakers gave passionate, emotional speeches analyzing the reasoning for consolidation provided by the Coppell ISD Efficiency Review Committee (CERC) as part of the district’s Cowboys United improvement program.
Later in the meeting, the Board discussed how Town Center Elementary relates to the goals of Cowboys United.
“There are no easy answers when you’re talking about something like this,” trustee Jonathan Powers said. “We’re obviously not all 100% in the same direction, so seeing how that all takes shape based on questions and feedback we got will ultimately lead to the best outcome.”
The board hosts a community town hall at Town Center Elementary on Wednesday. It will conduct final discussion and vote on consolidation on Monday.
After a closed session, the board voted 7-0 to approve the contract of Superintendent Dr. Leanne Shivers. With her family, she stood at the podium and gave a short speech, thanking the district and praising the community.
“As superintendent, what I’m looking forward to is the people,” Dr. Shivers said. “I’m so incredibly excited to get back to our incredible students, our community and the people we work with.”
The Board thanked Interim Superintendent Doug Williams for his service as they discussed the termination of his contract. He will continue to serve until Oct. 7, when Dr. Shivers will enter the role.
“You’ve stepped in and not only not let the wheels fall off the bus, but you pulled it into the garage,” said trustee David Caviness, regarding Williams’s service.
CISD chief operations officer Sid Grant presented updates on 2023 bond projects, primarily on construction at various campuses including Coppell High School, Coppell Middle School North, Valley Ranch Elementary, Denton Creek Elementary and Town Center Elementary. He also showcased plans for future Phase 3 projects at CHS, CHS9, Coppell Middle School North and Lakeside Elementary.
CISD’s architecture firm, Corgan, is 90% complete with these plans excluding the move of New Tech High @ Coppell.
“There are definitely some financial lessons that we’ve learned from Valley Ranch renovations that we will implement at Lakeside,” Grant said. “Specifically, that it would be beneficial to all if we were able to allow the contractor to do their work without working around all the students.”
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