001Good evening. We are gathered here again in an extraordinary session of the board of directors. It's January 20th. We'll start at 6:55. Many thanks to the interpreter Juan Car for being here. Very good. Let's begin then with the oath to the flag. Mr. Mike, a member of the board of directors, will lead the nation undervisible with liberty and justice for all. Honest one day under God, one and indivisible. Let's now take a moment of silence, please. Thank you. The first item on our agenda tonight is our open forum for agenda items. As stated on the posted agenda, members of the public who desire to address the board regarding an item on the agenda required to register at www.aisd.net/boardmeetingspeaker request. No later than 3:00 p.m. on the day of the board meeting. Miss Crossnet, do we
002have any requesters registered to address the board tonight? President Ch we do pull that up. Ok we have several folks request tonights all. We have many attendees who have requested to speak tonight, and all of these people have asked to do so in person. We understand that they will also be using the interpreter to address the board and others. We have a person, Mr. George Sakana, who has requested to address the board, but on a topic, an issue that is not part of today's agenda. Is the present here today? Present. Okay, when they come back, maybe they'll be given the opportunity to address the board and the community before we get to the topic on our agenda today because they have a small baby. Okay, we'll give the floor then to the first person who
003wants to speak, which is Miss Laura Garcia. Um, I'm just going to ask you, please, that when we speak, you pause and don't give me overly long segments so that I can faithfully say, communicate everything you are saying. Thank you. Okay, then let's review the rules for this open forum. All citizens, all members of the community, are given the opportunity to address the board and discuss the issue, the matter that is part of the agenda. It is important to remember that this is not meant to become a debate, and the board members are not required to respond. No derogatory comments are allowed under any circumstances . It is not allowed, nor is it permitted to discuss personal matters. Each person is usually given a maximum of 3 minutes. We're going to extend it by 5
004minutes because an interpreter is being used. We will remind you when the time is about to expire to end the exhibition. And finally, if you have any documents you would like to share with the board of directors, you will give them to Mr. Hill, who is at the back of the room. Perfect. You can start. Yes. Ah, my name, good night. My name is Laura Garcia. Good evening. My name is Laura García. As parents, we all want the best educational opportunities for our children. And since they're considering closing Blanton School, I'm looking for the best school options for my son. Two of them are the first, finding a school with better academic performance. These options would be with schools that have an A or B rating, as determined by the Texas Education Agency. But unfortunately
005there are none of these schools within my area where I live. I live about 9 miles from Blanton School. Blanton. I did a search of these schools, out of the 76 schools that the Arlington district has . Only one of the 53 elementary schools in the district has an A rating, and only 12 have a B rating. None of these schools were offered to us to relocate our students. But in order to access these schools, we need to apply for a transfer, be accepted, pay for the transfer, and provide our own transportation. Considering the distance to these schools, we are between 4 and 7.9 miles away. And these schools are also between 55 and 65 years old. My second option would be to look for one of the three new primaries that are close to
006my address. Since I believe that these schools, being new and having the necessary infrastructure for our students, would be the best options for our children, as they have better technology, better furniture, larger cafeterias, but most importantly, larger classrooms to accommodate the students. The problem is that our students won't have access to these facilities either , because these schools already have students relocated to ROAR and Viranox schools, since these schools have already been demolished, not to mention that they also have an F rating. So, now, what options do I have left considering this? The schools that you chose for us according to the address, one of them is going to be Woodman. The schools that you have chosen because of my address, one of them is going to be good, which is 50 years old but
007has a C rating. The problem is that this school also has problems. On January 16, the school was evacuated due to a strong smell of gas. The firefighters. Oh, the guy's almost finished. Yes, you may continue. Firefighters had to be called to make sure it wasn't a gas leak. What's my point in all this? My mind cannot understand why Blanton School is being closed for being an old school, but the students are being relocated to another old school with infrastructure that is obviously more dangerous to me than the possibility of a gas explosion. Since Blanton is supposed to have a water pooling problem, to me it is different from a flood. At this point, I really wonder, with these situations I've just shared with you, that the problem isn't an old school or a new
008school, but I wonder, why can't we meet the ticks, which are the academic standards? Where is the real problem? The students are the problem. The teachers are the problem, the teaching methods are the problem, the education agency with its constant changes in evaluation methods. You probably are the district, or maybe we parents are. I really don't know, but I'd like to find out . But this point, for me the most important thing is to ask ourselves how we are going to solve this so that our students are no longer the most affected. Thank you very much for your time. Garcia. Thank you very much, Miss Garcia. We have the following person registered, Miss Maria Zamarripa. Can you begin? Good evening, my name is Maria Somarripa. I have two special education students . Student education. A
009boy is in the eighth grade and the girl is in the fourth grade (blank). Blendon. My two children have severe disabilities. Both of my children have severe disabilities. They both have autism. And they both have to take my daughter to school every day because I don't have a car. Apparently my address is 2 miles away. and perhaps qualify for transportation as you said at the last meeting. I want to tell you that I feel terrified at the thought that my daughter may not be able to adapt to the bus with children she doesn't know. When my daughter feels terrified, she screams, covers her ears, and flails her arms. Sometimes it makes a lot of noise and I don't know how the other children would react. React. Yes, they will hit her thinking that she can
010harm them. To get to Blanton I walked for barely 5 minutes and then calmly went to my job. I am a single mother. My daughter's teachers provided her with all the security and the best education possible within their capabilities. That's why she was progressing. But now you decide to close the school. These children are going to lose everything: their insecurity, their stability, their academic progress, and they will have to start from scratch. I sincerely tell you, you do care about the education and academic progress of children. Closing the school will not help them at all. To the students, especially children with disabilities, like my daughter. Thank you, Miss Samarripa. Normaz. The next person registered to speak is Norma Chávez. Good night. My name is Norma Chávez Ramos. My name is Norma Chávez Ramos. I have
011a granddaughter in special education. She is in fourth grade. I have a grandda in special education. She is in fourth grade. She has been diagnosed with autism. The father wanted nothing to do with the girl. Diagnos with autism due to his disability. And when my daughter died, my granddaughter legally became my daughter. I live across Lover Street, very close to Blanton School. I just crossing the street very close to elementary school. I walk to school every day. And when I've had some issues with my daughter, the principal has always helped me, and so have her teachers. If you decide to close the school, I don't know if I'll have all that support. They'll give it to me in Blanton at the other school they send us to. I know that changes are difficult for all
012children . I know that for all kids changes are difficult. But they have advantages that children with disabilities do not have. As you can see, I am already an old woman and I am very afraid to be here. before you in this place and to speak, but my daughter gives me the strength to do it. Right now I'm imagining the fear my autistic daughter will feel. when they take away all that security that she no longer knew. Because for her, Blanton is like home. Blanton here because I too am feeling that fear here in this unfamiliar place in front of you. That's why I'm asking you, please listen to us and think about these children. before deciding to close the school. That's all, and thank you. Thank you, Miss Chavez. The next presenter is Miss
013Arlí Prieto. No, I am a primary school student giving this speech because I feel very sad and very worried about this school closing. This school is not only the place where I am learning, it is also my second home. It's where I've met my friends and teachers who care about me. And I've created memories I'll never forget, where they help me pass my Telpas exams. My exams are reading and math, where I work so hard to pass all my exams and this is what I get. The thought of leaving this school makes me feel scared, disappointed, and heartbroken . Wored about having to start over some new and learning behind the people andy. I'm worried about having to start all over again in a new place and leaving behind all the people and the place
014that makes me feel safe and happy. I do n't know if other schools feel the same way. This school means so much to me and to many other students. It's hard to imagine how they're going to do things without school. I hope you understand how much closing the school is going to affect us. Not only as a student, but as a family that loves and adores this school. Thank you for listening to my feelings and for thinking about how this decision will impact the students. Many thanks to the young man, Mr. Ramos, as they are two separate exhibitors, Miss Ramos will also have all the time in the world. Miss Prieto, we are here for you. Thank you. Prieto. Good evening, my name is Prieto. I have three children in Blanton Elementary School in kindergarten,
015second grade, and fourth grade. In past meetings, they shared with us the district's values and beliefs on which they based their recommendation to close Blanton School. Number one, the district is committed to providing exceptional experiences for all students. How do you create an exceptional experience when your school is about to be closed and demolished? Number two, Elite is committed to providing a safe and productive environment to maximize student learning. How can this be lamented when students are going to lose their entire comfort zone, their entire safe environment that they were used to? How can a child feel safe when their home is being taken away? Because for them, Blanto not only represents their school, it also represents their home. Number three, maximize the resources of the school district. With this I understand that they are
016definitely referring to money because it is obvious that if the school does not have the necessary number of students, the budget that the government gives them is not enough. Now I'd like to talk to you about the star exam, because that's one of the reasons why they're going to close Blanton. I want to talk about myth. He has already passed his star test including his to achieve the results he worked hard. I want to talk specifically about my fourth-grade son. He already passed his exams, including the telpas. To achieve this result we worked very hard, practically, we dedicated many hours, but what will be the reward for this hard work? Close and demolish their school, their home. Now I ask you to I ask you is this the motivation message where we are going to
017send to student. Now I ask you, is this the motivational message we are going to send to the students? These are the values and beliefs they told us about regarding creating exceptional memories to maximize student learning. Now I understand the frustration my son is feeling because I have felt it too. Education student. Thank you. I was a special education student . Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you very much, miss. I understand that the next person to present is Miss Analiz Pérez. Miss Perez is here. this moment. If you change your mind, that's welcome. Carvajal. The next speaker will be Miss Ana Carvajal. Good evening, my name is Ana Carvajal, mother and representative of Blanton Elementario. Anvajalesentary. On this occasion I want to touch on certain points that concern us all. Much has been
018said about the low ratings of Arlington schools, but little has been said about the strategies the district has taken to act in favor of the schools. Taking into account that they are responsible for guaranteeing the experiences and expectations of fulfilling everything, of covering all the expectations of education, as they have mentioned here, among their values. It is noteworthy that the constant changes made to the school exams have harmed schools. As has been discussed previously, the previous participants have mentioned the number of schools with an F rating that there are currently. Tonight I have only heard about the downsides for our children, as this closure would cause a great social, economic and emotional impact on our children and the entire Blanton family. It is also worth highlighting certain advances that have been made at the school
019since Miss Castillo took over as director. We're talking about controlled security. Not everyone can easily enter the school without going through a security check. We are talking about the safety, the control not just everyone is able to come inside the campus without checking first. A work environment and customer service that was not what it used to be . Language has not been a barrier for parents like me who do not speak English. Access for parents and families, taking into account that there is a family representative at the school, access to lunches. The unconditional support of the volunteers has increased and they have become more involved in the activities of the schools. Unconditional support of the voluntary volte number increv. And what I think is most important, the structural organization that was not visible before. It
020is true that when Miss Castillo arrived, many people left. They refused to comply with new regulations because they were used to doing whatever they wanted. Um, to conclude my remarks I would also like to make it clear that less than 3 years is not enough to successfully run a school that had been in F category for almost 10 years and you can continue. Continue until finished. Okay, perfect. And while closing the school wouldn't represent a big savings for the district, that's not what we 've heard in previous meetings. On the contrary, there's been talk of hiring more teachers to meet the needs of our students in new schools. We would like to recommend that you allow us to continue for another year so that we can demonstrate that all the work that has been done
021these years has been worthwhile and will bear fruit. Taking into account that the only ones affected would be our children. Thank you so much. May God bless you. Thank you so much. God bless you. Thank you very much. José García. Funny. Mr. José is García. Yes. Garcia. Ah, I'm fine. Ready. Good night. Good evening. My name is José García. My name is José García. Many years ago I had five children at Blantonary school. I currently have a second cousin. I want to tell you that my grandson was very sick and fell too far behind in school. But last year he had an incredible teacher; the teaching methods he used to motivate and educate the children were amazing. It was something I had never seen before and I'm sure I'll never see it again . My
022grandson started working a lot. My grands started working very hard. Hard, tough. Every day I started to progress a lot, and even got sick. No, I didn't want to miss school. But now I go to school for him. and asks me to do something so that it doesn't close at school. What should I say to him/her? That you, that you are going to close it, that you are not going to tear it down, and your reward for so much effort would be to close the school. I just want to tell you that I feel like I'm in a cruel game where we pretend to talk to you, you pretend to listen to us, and you sell us the illusion that you haven't made a decision. to close the school. When you know perfectly well that
023the school will be closed and destroyed. But today I am here for my granddaughter and for all the children of Branton School, and I promised my grandson I would do everything possible to prevent you from closing the school. And I want to add something else. The young lady who just walked by said that the principal and her entire group have been at this school for 3 years and have done what the other principal hasn't done in 10 years. It's incredible, isn't it? But closing it, who's going to suffer? The children, not you, not us. Thank you so much. The next presenter we have is Miss. Thank you. Good evening, my name is Shareni Garcia. I was a student at Blanton Elementary School, as were my four siblings, and now my son is here in second
024grade. I'd like to share the frustration I 'm feeling right now. I was always a special education student throughout all my school years. I used to work harder than my classmates every day, but my test scores were never A or B. Currently, right now, it's the same story with my son, because he has been very sick during his early school years. But he still wakes up every day and tries his best to improve and succeed in his education. But the message being sent is that no matter how hard you work, it will never be enough, and the results of these exams, not being perfect, will lead to the school closing. This message that you are sending to all students and all staff, uh, to Blanton School, is the same no matter how much effort you
025put in. As a result, hard work will never be enough. Thank you, Miss Castillo. The next presenter is Miss Mariela Torres. Good afternoon. Good evening everyone. My name is Mariela Torres. I'll do it in English and in Spanish. Um, I think that's what I gathered from the last meeting, you know? As far as I understand, we're not going to have a choice. This is a decision that has already been made. I've come here to talk, something I did n't have the opportunity to do last time . Many people expressing their points. I also wanted to mention to you that I was also a student at Blanson School, me and three of my sisters as well. We've passed, haven't we? Now we are in the situation where the school is going to close. BL even my
026nephew finished sixth grade, it's a community all of us, my little boy is in kindergarten right now. I just wanted to come here to represent the Hispanic community, which does n't always have the opportunity to raise its voice. I was the same way, more or less like when I was a young girl. I also identify with the parents here who are walking to school. My parents have lived there since I was 2 years old. We moved to this area when I was 2 years old. The school was within walking distance. as my parents did and to be able to follow the same path that my parents followed, listening to others is difficult because of what we have all been through. The difficult part to understand is this notification that they have given us at such
027a short notice . Try to understand what is going to happen to the children. the repercussions that will occur in the students, those children who also have disabilities. We have listened to the parents who have come forward to explain this, to the staff members, not just the teachers. Oh, sorry. I'm going to emphasize the community aspect as well because even now that my son goes to school, I still see teachers who were there when I went to school. Kindergarten teacher celebrate right now in December, my kindergarten teacher has celebrated her retirement. I'm here to speak for everyone, including the janitors, the people, the staff, those who work in the kitchen, two that I know are there and still are. This also includes PTA members, the Parent-Teacher Association, parents and teachers, the representatives who are there,
028and the people who do translation. My main focus in coming here and speaking. coming to ask them for an opportunity, an opportunity for teachers, parents, and students. an opportunity to find out what we can do to keep the school alive. What's the point? What are the grades we need to achieve so that the focus isn't solely on us? What should we do? how to get to the point where they want to remodel us instead. I feel we need that opportunity. Thank you, Miss Torres. formagenda forum is present. Okay. Well, that was the entire list of people registered to speak. We're going to give the floor to Miss Saquina. George, thank you. Okay. With can the same rules that apply to open forum for agenda items apply to non-agenda forum. So any um disparaging remarks about
029an individual or personnel disputes or not appropriate for nonagenda forum and give you the same agenda forum tonight. The rules are being reviewed. The same rules apply as for the 3- minute ones. Arling aware of that place. Our children's elementary school. This was her first year as a student in their special education alternative curricular program. Our child loves school. She's been in school since she was three. Our regular morning routine was simple and exciting before school. Maam I I would hate to interrupt but we do have a translator present tonight and I would mind me not reading after you if I can your phone you can go ahead and it is that okay that's great thank you now she cries at the very thought of going to school not only have these incidents changed our
030morning routine but we have also noticed significant behavioral changes overall unfortunately after two incidents of child abuse from teachers of record and this school year alone We are forced to unroll our child as we fear for her safety. We recently learned that after the first incident, no managers were taken by the school to check on their well-being. We were also informed that she was removed from the classroom that we requested cameras for. We are trying our absolute best to provide a safe environment that allows our non-verbal children to learn in their unique way. Please provide us with reassurance that this is not a matter that Arlington ISD will allow our family nor families to simply endure, but rather a matter that Arlington ISD will remedy. It takes a village. Thank you. Thank you. I am
031here tonight to alert the Arlington school district about two incidents involving a child with special needs that occurred this school year. Uh, our son attends Mary Mo primary school, it's his first year. This has been her first year as a student in the special education alternative curriculum program . Our little girl loves coming to school. She has been in school since she was 3 years old. Our regular morning routine has been simple and exciting before school. Now she cries at the mere thought of coming to school. Unfortunately, after two incidents of child abuse by teachers at this school, we have been forced to take our daughter out of school this year alone, as we fear for her safety. We have recently learned that after the first incident, no action was taken by the school to
032check on or review his well-being. She has been removed from the classroom where we requested cameras. We are trying, trying to do our best to provide a safe environment that will allow our child, who does not communicate verbally, to learn in her own unique way. Please, give us, provide us with new guarantees that this is not an issue that the Arlington school district will allow our families to find a remedy for. Thank you so much. for this. Thank you. That concludes our open forum for tonight. We've been going for about an hour and I understand we have decent presentation tonight and we're going to have a lot of questions and a tough decision uh potentially to make. So at this time I'm going to also I'm going to call for about a 10 or 15
033minute recess. I'm going to say an extended recess because there were several people who didn't speak tonight. With this we are concluding our section of giving the floor to the exhibitors who have registered. So, at this moment what we're going to do is take a short break, but it's only 10 or 15 minutes because we're going to give you a chance. We've had a long list of people who have approached us to talk, but if at this moment during the break you would like to approach and speak with the superintendent, the president, or the members of the board of directors, you may do so. So let's take a break of 10 or 15 minutes, and thank you. It's 7:51. We're starting the break. It's 8:11 and we're back after the break. We only have one
034issue, one topic on today's agenda. Let's review, then, with this presentation, the potential closure of the primary school, speaking. Okay, let's inform them. If you look at the two screens in front of you, the PowerPoint presentation is in Spanish, and the small screens on the sides are in English. Thank you very much to the members of the board of directors for meeting today regarding the administrative recommendation to close Blanton Elementary School. As we informed the families, on January 5th we are discussing a recommendation about possibly closing Blanton Primary School. On January 8th we presented initial information. Since that meeting, we had a meeting with the parents and collected information from our staff. So, today's presentation is a recap of the information we're presenting to you and why this recommendation is being made. In addition, some
035other topics will be added that were also mentioned in our communication with the families, but I also want to point out that the only item on the agenda and the only thing we are considering tonight is whether or not the board adopts a resolution on closing Blant Elementary School. Additional discussions will take place regarding transportation and geographical boundaries, academic support programs, and transition support for families and students. If you decide to close the plant school. So, this is the only topic, the only issue we have for tonight is the possible potential closure of the soft school. I'm going to give the floor to Dr. Collins for most of this presentation, and I'll be adding some things during the course of it. Good evening, President Chapa, Dr. Smith, and all members of the board of directors.
036As Dr. Smith said, we have three purposes, three matters to address during this time together that we have. We're going to start reviewing the findings about Blanton Elementary School that were first discussed at the board meeting we had two weeks ago. We will also be providing, we will be receiving, discussing, and talking about the comments, questions, and concerns that we have had from members of the community, and then we will provide the administrative recommendation regarding the closure of the school. As we would like to remind you that during the fall the board adopted what are our values and beliefs as districts, as the parents have mentioned and have mentioned on behalf of the parents, we have been relying on these values and these beliefs while we were making these decisions. We have talked in our
037last meetings about the three values and beliefs that have mainly dominated this conversation. We want to make sure that we are providing exceptional experiences for each and every child, the student who is in school in the Arlington school district . We want to make sure we can maximize our resources throughout the Arlington school district, and we also want to make sure we provide safe learning spaces where kids are learning. Blon elementary findings. As we go through the information about Blanton School, we're going to focus on three different findings that have resulted from the studies that have been done. Let's start by talking about the learning environment and campus infrastructure. Next, we're going to talk about the decline in enrollment at Blanton School, and then finally, we're going to talk about academic progress performance, as mentioned
038earlier today by families of community members . There are other campuses, other schools in the Arlington school district that are also having difficulties with these same areas. There are other facilities that are older in the district, and there are also other schools, other campuses that have a decrease in enrollment, in student registration. And then we also have other campuses where we are working very hard academically to achieve better results for our students. What makes Blanton's situation unique is that we have had findings in all three of these areas. To begin, then, let's talk about the learning environment and infrastructure. According to the assessment of the condition of the facilities in the fall of 2025, most of the Blanton Elementary School facilities need significant repairs to maintain our values and meet our expectations. Uh, you'll notice
039that in 2014 the index for Blanton School's infrastructure was 29.7%. In 2018 that number increased to 32.8%. And in the most recent evaluation that we have conducted, the index of these facilities is at 58%. This means that our building is aging and it will cost more to carry out the necessary repairs for the campus. The second area we're going to talk about, discuss today, tonight, is the decrease in enrollment. According to our November 2025 demographic presentation, Blanton Elementary School currently has an enrollment of 458 students, resulting in a utilization rate of 55%. The number of students at Blanton Elementary School has decreased by about 270 students since 2016 and is projected to continue decreasing again. Our demographers' most recent report shows a continued decline in enrollment at Blanton Elementary School. The third finding has been
040on the subject of academic performance. This relates specifically to the relative performance of the facilities according to the 2025 Texas Education Agency (TEA) school achievement ratings. Academic performance at Blanton Elementary School has been declining since 2013 compared to similar schools. This data, this specific information, compares Blanson Elementary School with other campuses, other schools that are within the state of Texas and that have a similar demographic. In 2013, Blanton School's academic performance was on par with or better than 76% of schools. By 2025, Blanton's academic performance is on par with or better than only 6% of demographically similar schools. This timeline shows us the important dates of these findings, including last fall during a board meeting on October 3rd, when the board established a steering committee to study the district's facility and capital needs for the
041future. by November 20th. We received a report from the demographer, including the fall enrollment and housing report and projection. This report was submitted by an external demographer on December 11th; we received the information regarding the assessment of the condition of the facilities. This report gives us information about the condition assessment of all facilities in the Arlington school district . Uh, this report, this study was provided by an external architecture firm . Then, on January 8th, at our last board meeting, we had an initial conversation with the board members , discussing the possible closure of Blanton Primary School. Uh, we are required to make a decision by January 31st in order to meet the deadlines set by the Texas Education Agency. If the board of directors were to adopt a resolution to close a school, this
042would be effective at the end of the school year. Since our meeting on January 8th, we have had many opportunities to engage with the Blanton community. You know that on January 8th we had the presentation to the board of directors. Elementaryuture that night we also launched the page, the website is called The Future Use of Blanton Elementary School. And on this website, on this page were included all the materials that we provided to the board members in an effort to increase transparency and dialogue with everyone. We also launched some virtual conversations on Onfow. This is for parents and the community. This allows parents to send us their questions, concerns, and issues that worry them through this website. And then we were able to forward all those questions to the best administrator in charge to answer
043them. The day after the meeting, that is, on January 9th, communications were sent to both the parents and the staff of Blanton School. On January 14th, we held a meeting for the parents and families of Blanton. And then on January 15th, we sent additional communication to parents and staff about this special meeting. Before we move on, can we go back one slide? I just want to point something out to the families and the members of the board of directors. If you look at the photograph in the background, it's a real photograph from the meeting we held last week at Blanson School. We are extremely grateful, we greatly appreciate the warm welcome we received and the large audience that attended. We would then like to dedicate the rest of this presentation. We want to provide additional
044information based on the questions we have received. I'm going to give the floor, I'm going to give the microphone to Miss Kelly Horn. He is the assistant superintendent of the facilities. He will provide us with more up-to -date information on the condition of the facilities at Blant Elementary School . Normally, the construction of school buildings is for a 50-year cycle. This year we celebrated 70 years of age with Blanton Primary School . Since Blanton Elementary School was built, there have been five substantial additions or extensions to this day. The most recent edition was in 2013. The previous one was in 1993, meaning that before 2013, 40 years had passed before a significant addition was made to Blanton School. The capital needs that we have at Blanton School have become more systematic. That means the foundations,
045the structural part, the plumbing, the electrical work; these represent the essential needs for this campus. So, what we've seen on the most recent visits, you'll see in this photograph, the roof, the windows, the exterior are in dire need of repair. Apart from that, the street infrastructure, the street itself outside, is also rising and there is cracking. This allows water to get in; in other words, it's not properly organized, and water gets onto the campus. We know that we are in an area that is normally exposed to storms and this is a problem because of the drainage where the water gets into the infrastructure. In addition to that, we also have several educational needs, as we call them. It has to do with replacing the cafeteria, the gym, the kitchen. Uh, there are also other things
046that we consider important, what we call completions. It has to do with the last coat of paint, the ceilings on the inside, the false ceiling. So in a situation like that of Blanton Primary School, which has all these repair needs, it is considered more practical, instead of continuing to repair it, to replace it. to one slide too much. So when you consider uh the amount of money that would need to be added to Blanton to bring it up to the condition of a new school, uh when you look at the cost of almost makes sense to consider others. When we look at the budget, the amount of money we see that is needed to make the repairs that will put Blanton School in the conditions, the standards that it deserves or needs, we see that
047the cost of repairs is approximately 35 million dollars. That is why it is more logical to follow other paths. As Dr. Collins mentioned, this view, this slide you have in front of you, comes directly from the Arlington Elementary Schools Facilities Condition Index, which was carried out by an outside organization. So, as Dr. Col pointed out, we do have other campuses, other schools that are above the 50 index. Those are represented on the left side of this particular chart. You can then see Cooking Spear Blanton South Davis on the far left side. What we are appreciating by seeing with the Blant school we also see with other schools such as South Davis. Some of these facilities, as Dr. Collins rightly pointed out, have indeed aged and have great needs. We can make smarter, more astute investments
048and rescue these facilities. One of them in this group is Crow Elementary School. And then we also have facilities that are a little younger, they are more towards the middle of the graph. In this group is Morton Primary School with similar conditions to those we see in Blanton. Now, to finish my part of this presentation, when we look at the index, it typically grows by 3% each year. We have a school like Blanto that is already at 58% and we see all the resources and money that have to be invested, it really doesn't make the most sense, the best logic. Thank you. I will then continue to give you the most up-to-date information about the assistance zone, that is, the geographical boundaries of Blanton and the decisions that are being made. We have identified four
049schools, four campuses that have the capacity to receive the Blanton Swift student population. Those schools are Burgin, Crow, Goodman, and Swift. This preliminary map is showing, in draft form, the geographical boundaries of where the students would be assigned to go. It would be the students who currently attend Blanton School, which school would they be assigned to? If this decision is made, we will definitely have additional conversations with community members to discuss these geographical boundaries and the impact it will have on families. This chart would show you the actual numbers of how students would be assigned to these other schools. A high percentage of the students, which is 34% or 185 students, would be assigned to Burging Primary School. 27% or 145 students, which is the same, would be sent to Goodman School. 61 students, which
050would be 11%, would be assigned to Swift Elementary School . 16% of students, which is equivalent to 86 students, would be returned to their original campus because they are transfer students, and 12%, which is equivalent to 65 students, would be assigned to Crow Elementary School . Now, specifically speaking to the students assigned to Crow School, that would include the students who are part of the bilingual program. There are students who would be assigned to Swift, but due to the lack of a bilingual program, they will have to go to Crow, and we reiterate that they would be assigned to Crow so that they receive the services they need from the appropriate program for them. Now, regarding transportation for these students, in general, the district provides transportation service for those students who live two or more
051miles from their campus. We have already made a map and done a sonification of each of the students with respect to their address and the school that would correspond to them and the average distance then from this location to the Burging school is 1.7 miles. For Crow it's 1.1 miles, for Goodman it's 1.6 miles, and for Swift it's 2.1 miles. And any student who belongs to a specialized program could receive transportation. And once again, we are committed to continue reviewing the transportation plan according to the delimitation of geographical boundaries and its impact. At this time I will give the floor to Dr. Stephen Wors. He will talk about sizes, classroom proportions, and specialized programs. President Chopa members of the board Smith weve received several questions regarding continuity of services and also class sizes and whether
052sizes would increase due to the change of programming. Good evening then to President Chapa, to the doctor, to Dr. Smid and to all the members of the board of directors. We have received multiple questions about classroom size , as well as specialized programs. In the state of Texas, classrooms from kindergarten through fourth grade have a maximum ratio of 22 students to each teacher. In the Arlington school district , for fifth and sixth grade, the maximum ratio we have is 28 students per teacher. Now, the important thing about these numbers, this proportion is what we consider that if it goes beyond that, a new class needs to be opened. In reality, in everyday life, our proportion or our classrooms have fewer students than this maximum proportion, which is what is followed in the state of Texas.
053For example, if we look at Swift Elementary School, in classrooms from kindergarten through fourth grade, the average student-to-teacher ratio in general education classrooms is 16.27 students per teacher, per classroom. And although we have an adapted ratio for fifth and sixth grades of 28 students per teacher, the actual average number of students we have in the fifth and sixth grade classrooms at Swift Elementary School is 20.17 students. This reality or situation in which we have fewer students per teacher than the ratio always recommended by the state of Texas is quite common. And we anticipate that this number that follows will continue to be lower than the maximum proportion; this is a situation that will continue to occur even during and after this process. It is also important to note that all of these specialized programs that
054provide services to Blanton students will also be available at all of these schools to which the students might potentially transfer. This includes programs such as Gifter GT, Gifter and Talent, and Gifted and Talented programs. special education programs , liberal arts programs, and physical education. Oh, I'm sorry I forgot dyslexia. And also the dyslexia andringam programs. The three schools Bging, Crow and Goodman have a bilingual program. Now, as Dr. Hill pointed out to us a few minutes ago, those students who are supposed to go to Swift, but belong to the bilingual program, will be zoned to go to Crow School. We are deeply committed to ensuring that all our students continue to receive the services they need and that their academic needs continue to be met, regardless of the school they attend. We're going to give
055the floor to Mr. Kill to talk about the transition plan for Blanton's staff. Good evening, President Chapa, members of the board, Dr. Smith. We've had a number of questions uh that have come up with regard to supporting our staff. Good evening to President Chapa, Superintendent SM, and all members of the board of directors. We have received a number of questions related to Planton staff, so we are going to answer them now. Let's go to the next slide. We have had an initial meeting with all members of the Planton staff, assuring them that all their needs will be met. Should this decision be made, we plan to schedule an additional meeting with Blanton staff following the board's action . I think it's very important that staff understanding I think it's very important to point out and
056assure all Blanton School staff members that for the 2026-2022 school year, if this action is taken, everyone will be reassigned, will receive, will be assured a new assignment in the new school year. In addition to that reassignment opportunity to make sure that Blanton staff have additional options as well and as a result of them will be involved in an internal transfer process . I have absolutely spaces and both have intention of making those folks are taken care of this reached. The reassignment depends entirely on how many people or professionals resign and also how many retire at the end of the year. I have absolutely no doubt that these positions will be available. I personally, as well as the entire team, will make sure that everyone receives their allocation. Uh, thank you all so much for
057your time. I want to thank you for the opportunity. I'm going to introduce you to Dr. Champion, who is the head of schools, the head of schools. Good evening, President Chapa, members of the board of directors, and Superintendent Smith. We recognize that this is an extremely difficult decision for you, the members of the board of directors, and it is probably much more difficult for the families thinking about this. We take this very seriously and want to walk alongside you, moving forward step by step throughout this process, should the board of directors proceed with this proposal. Before you is the timeline, the support schedule that we have designed together. which will again only take effect if the board makes the decision today. This gives us an opportunity to see the new schools that would be assigned
058to families, as well as having a period of time for transfer applications from Blanton School students. We are committed to working together with families on the enrollment process if they need help with registration and enrollment. And we are including some specific individuals to help with this transition. Our goal is that absolutely every one of our students receives the best possible care and that families have the support they need. So I give the floor again to Dr. Collins. Very good. So, members of the board of directors, we have explained the initial reasons for making this proposal, and our staff has addressed the main questions and inquiries that have arisen during this process. I want to emphasize the point I made at the beginning of this presentation that the decision to be made today is whether or
059not we decide to close Blan Elementary School. It's not about transportation or the geographical boundaries of the schools . All these articles or all these other matters will come after this potential decision. There's a reason why you see preliminary or draft in several of these designs, because we are constantly working based on what our Blanton school students need. So, that brings us to this afternoon's administrative recommendation . And it is my recommendation to adopt a resolution to permanently close Blanton Elementary School, to do so effectively by the end of the 2025-2026 school year . We have listened to the concerns, what parents are worried about, and we believe that we have exceptional educators and leaders who will make this transition happen in the best way for our children. But if we were to adopt this
060resolution today, tonight, we will continue to meet and listen to these families to ensure that we meet their needs. at the moment. So, I'm going to give the floor to the board members for discussion, for conversation . Very well, thank you very much Dr. SM and all the team members for this presentation, this exposition. I will now give the floor to the members of the board of directors for their contributions, consultations, and questions. Miss thank you president I have I guess. Very good. So, I have three main questions. I don't actually know who it's addressed to. To Dr. WS, to Mr. Hill. I might have missed it. I've been taking notes so I don't lose track. I followed closely where our students who are part of the bilingual program are going. However, my question is
061about those children who are part of the special education program. There are many different programs that cover many different needs. What will happen to them? Well, there may be different programs dedicated to meeting the needs of, for example, an autistic child. It is different from the needs that another child with other needs may have. The primary disabilities that receive services and support at Blanton Elementary School are those specific learning disabilities that include children who receive inclusion time within the classroom. as well as those children who are removed from the classroom for part of the day. Also, therapy services, speech, language and dyslexia. And we also have other children, other students who have some more severe conditions , for example, one is autism, and for this reason they participate in the alternative curriculum. There are some
062children who are part of these programs; however, our plan is that they will go to another school where there will be the program needed to meet their needs. These programs will be held at Swift and Goodman. Now, as I mentioned, there aren't many children. One of the questions we have received is whether it is possible to keep these children together. As Dr. Smith said, we are very concerned and very focused on listening to the needs and concerns of the parents and meeting them, and we anticipate that as part of this process we will be able to continue to meet the wishes of the parents. Thank you. I believe this question is probably for Mr. Kaleit. What would happen if we don't get enough resignations or retirements to make these positions available for Blanton School staff?
063Fortunately, and thanks to the size of our school district, every year we have even more available positions than the number of staff members who need them. ample spaces for those placements and also believe we've made a commitment to those staff at this point to make those placements. So even in a situation where maybe a skill set doesn't quite match, we will figure out a way to get through the transition and keep our commitment. I have absolute confidence that we will be able to fill all these positions. We also have the commitment of all staff to do it. Even if there were a certain skill or a specific ability, we will do our best to fit that professional into the best position . Thank you so much. That will probably calm many of the feelings we
064have. Thank you, miss. The next member of the board of directors to speak is Mr. Chapa, thank you President. Many thanks to all the parents and grandparents who came to talk to us tonight. This is not an easy decision. But I do want to thank the staff for their empathetic and uh approach to decision. I want to express my gratitude for the willingness, the focus, and the approach that the board of directors is taking . I believe we have seen this situation before in other school districts across the state. And I can't think of any other situation where things aren't being handled and controlled as well as we are doing here, and also focusing on the well-being of their staff. Swift, I have a few more questions, perhaps some clarification that I need to ask
065Dr. Words or Dr. Champion. They told me that the bilingual program is not offered at Swift school. If I heard correctly, those students would be going to Crow Elementary School . Do we know the size of the bilingual student population? There are 50 students from Blanton School who would be assigned to Swift, but they are going to be reassigned to Crow. Normally, then, the average would be 100-110 going to Crow. students that are those students and there are a total of 65 students who were assigned to Crow, of which 15 are general education students and the rest of the other 50 students we are talking about being re-signed for Crow. Thank you very much for your consideration of these important services that our students and their families need. are significantly contributing um to the decision
066tonight are the declining enrollment and looking at the Zonda uh demographics in the next 10 years students potentially. The other two factors that we are considering in this situation, one is the decrease in the number of enrolled students and the projection for the next 10 years is to lose, you say, 10,000 more students. Mr. Horn pointed out that uh schools like Morton are up there in terms of need and we have a lot of excess capacity as well in a lot of the schools that surround Platin. Amus Morton uh Goodman those all have small attendance boundaries as well. What I would like him to do. Thank you. In the last few days, what was mentioned earlier is that we have other schools that are also around Blandon School, for example, Morton School has been mentioned,
067which also has a low number of enrolled students. I know that we will receive a report on our capital needs on Thursday. I would like to see a greater focus on meeting the needs, a plan in the coming months for East Arlington, because the greatest needs are there. That is a wish I have for the future, that this is a plan that will be taken more seriously for the rest of the schools in East Arlington. Um my colleagues share a lot of concerns when it comes to transportation. So um the specific area of concern is students that were zoned to Goodb that would be crossing 303 and Arkansas and Collins. My last question has to do with the topic of transportation. Specifically, my colleagues have also been mentioning what worries them, and those students who
068are going to school, uh, you say, Goodman Goodman. Okay. And they're going to be crossing. What is the name of the street? I'm sorry. 303. Arkansas. Ar yollins. Collins. I know we're working on transportation plan, but I'm that you know as a board member and if I was a parent in that area, that would be of high concern for me that I would want you guys to take a hard look at that. I know it's within the 2.1, But um one if we could look at a temper I mean the parents didn't know this was coming for transportation. Uh, I know a transportation plan is being developed , but as a board member, and if I were a pal in that area, I would be concerned and would want to focus on it. I know
069the average distance is 2.1, but I would like a transition plan to be well developed. In addition to definitely taking note, we should conduct a study of what the difficulties would be and whether they are difficulties in this aspect. I'm going to add a couple of details to this topic. I would like to point out, and remind you, that both the geographic sonification plan and the transportation plan are still in the draft development stage. I hear your concern about the impact of those students who walk to your school. and also options for transportation to their school. We can take both things into account in the decision to move forward. If there is one thing I would like to point out about the distribution of students to other schools. One of the things we have to
070keep in mind is the number of students who will be going to each school. Some people may be wondering why this reunification proposal is in certain places. Some of these also relate to our demographic study of where it can be carried out. Uh, I say this because sometimes, uh, geographical sonification, according to geographical limits, does not have a sufficient number of students. Well, the truth is that we have to look at where each of these students lives and what school they can go to. Thank you. Thank you. It's a technical puzzle that we're trying to solve. Many thanks to all the staff who are trying to develop the best possible plan for the students and parents of Blanton Elementary School. Those are all my questions. Thank you, Mr. WB. We'll take Mr. Mike's word for
071it. We could look at slide number 14. Just to reflect some of the concerns of my colleague, Mr. WBS. When we look at East Arlington and the impact of these elementary schools, you can see that most of them were built in the 1950s and 1960s. At least those that have the major infrastructure problems. And I understand that we are exposing this because it was built in 1954. Blanton, 1954, because Blanton Elementary School was built in 1954, or I think Blanton was built in 1956, and then Arlington experienced an increase in its population from the 1950s to the 1960s from 7,700 people to almost 44,000 people. Now that we are in 2026, growth has stopped. That's what's leading us to some of these conversations or discussions today. There are some things I want the administration to
072keep in mind. If we were to make this decision, we could look at slide number 16, and I know that this is a draft, it is preliminary, and I believe that like any draft, like any preliminary plan, there is always room to continue working and redesigning. Sometimes when we look at things as they appear on paper they look perfectly fine, but we must always keep in mind the realities of the situation. If we look at slide number 19, I know what the policies, rules, and guidelines of the district board of directors are regarding transportation, and then after listening to many of the parents and grandparents speak, many have generations in the same family who have attended this school, which coincides with what many people in Arlington already have. When they say, when they move here,
073they stay here. And you have people who have moved, have relocated to a particular area because of a specific school. And if we were to take the particular step of closing this school itself, we would have to pay particular attention to this policy, this rule. I would like to encourage you, to urge you to look very, very carefully at this particular policy as it relates to Blanton Elementary School; could we please look at number 24? Some parents have spoken to us about students who have special needs and who attend Blanton Elementary School. And I anticipate that there will be certain difficulties with the children if we take this step. It would be excellent, spectacular if the children could see familiar faces if they were to transfer to a different school. I would also like to
074emphasize that you should keep this in mind. Overall, this is a very difficult decision, not only for the adults in the room, but also for the very people we represent, the children of this community. So I'm just going to urge everyone present to be direct. Thank you, Mr. Mike. Are there any other board members who would like to speak? Okay , let's give the floor to Miss Hees first. I'm going to be very, very quick. I don't think I have any additional questions or concerns that are relevant at this time. Um, what I do want to tell you is that at the last board meeting we had, I asked the other board members to take very seriously how the families feel. and also ask them that during this process a plan be developed that prioritizes
075empathy, communication with the parents, and allows them to work with them on this plan. The care and planning being put in to provide this support to families is something I admire, and it makes me feel very good about how the board of directors is handling it. This is a really difficult decision. But it does give me some peace of mind about how to move forward with this, knowing that our staff will do the best job possible to ensure that families receive the support they need. Thank you, miss. We're going to give the floor to Mr. Richardson. I would like to review slide 14. this week from a staff member um ask the question that there are other campuses in a similar situation as their grading and rating that are also that while we are not
076having those discussions about those question comes from a staff member. He's pointing out that there are other schools, other campuses that are in a similar academic situation to ours, with Texas Education Agency ratings, and whose facilities are also in a similar situation. Why aren't those schools being discussed, but we are? And to reiterate that there are three factors under consideration here, which are those considered by the Texas Education Agency . We are not closing schools based on a single reason, on a single factor. At Thorton School, Thorton Primary School, there is an index of 8% compared to the 54 with 58% index at Blanon School. We need to be sure we don't get to that situation and what happens to them. This really makes it look like we 're considering all three areas and the
077impact that each of these three areas is having. One of the things we've talked about regarding transportation that comes to mind is how many children and families walk to school and how many children receive services for special needs. I want to implore you to take this with absolute seriousness because we not only have students who can walk, but students who have difficulties, special needs. Walking might be a safe option, but perhaps traveling in a special education vehicle isn't the best option either. publication population. Okay. I'm not saying there's a problem with special education buses per se , but students who have special needs and who travel on the bus might need different accommodations, adaptations. I want to make sure that these students don't become a discipline problem. when often their behavior might manifest differently in
078an unfamiliar situation, not because it is their actual behavior. I would like the staff to keep this in mind, to have this thought as we move forward, that we don't have an increase in the numbers with discipline, knowing that we just had a 40% decrease overall with security issues throughout the district. Uh, we also know that sadly we are paid by the State based on daily attendance numbers. I don't want the transportation and the way they get to school. that it is harmful or rather a factor for them not being in school, a reason for them not going to school. I want to prepare them and their families for success, but also that those teachers who are in the classroom, the children receive the best and they also receive the best when they enter. Uh,
079today we hear the words of a fifth-grade boy. He has already been to three schools this year. What he now knows as his home at Blanton School. He is crying and scared. He's not crying because there's something wrong with the other schools. He is crying because he doesn't know what to expect from the other schools. We also have several of our families who have known nothing but Blanton Elementary School for generations. If the staff can handle this appropriately, they can show us what's on the other side and what they should expect. Many of these fears and emotions can be helped because sometimes the unknown is the most frightening part, and I'm not referring exclusively to students. I believe this also applies to families. When our children are growing up, they reach the end of the
080elementary stage and move on to Junior Heide Middle School, we have those evenings where they get to know the teacher and the new campus. So, when we do these tours in schools and we can give them the knowledge, because you know that knowledge is power, that will help them feel in control of their lives. It will help them. Thank you for being kind and noble during this process with our families. Thank you for being transparent and thank you for allowing us to be part of the process. They did n't come here to tell us what to do. They have given us information, data. They have given us the opportunity to have a conversation, to have a dialogue, and now they are giving us an option, an alternative. It's not a simple choice, but we appreciate
081the information. Thank you, Miss Richardson. Let's give the floor to Miss MMA. Many thanks to all the members of the board of directors. Thanks also for the presentation. I know that many of my questions have already been answered, but I have one question in particular. In this way I would also like to cover in case anyone else might have questions. I know what the best. I know we have the website, the page, what would be the best way, the best mode of communication? so that parents, grandparents, and community members can continue to ask us questions that go beyond the information we have provided today, especially given that many of our plans are still in progress. We will continue to post or publish updates on the Blanson school website. We will also have a specific section
082on the Blanton website where parents and community members can send us their questions and queries so that they can be read and answered by the administration members. If the board of directors decides tonight to close Blanton Elementary School. I would like to encourage the families who are here today, the families of Blanton, to take advantage of those opportunities to visit the new schools, the new campuses. As Miss Richardson mentioned earlier in this meeting, when parents feel they have a better idea of what the future will look like, by seeing the new facilities or meeting with staff members, many of their questions will also be answered through that participation. But in the next six or seven months, we anticipate that questions will still be asked, and we are committed to answering those questions during the transition.
083I would also like to add something to this. Uh, on the website we also have an area called Let's talk. Let's talk, let's have a conversation. It's now called Onflow. One of the advantages we have there is that it is available in many languages. So I would like to encourage all families to please feel free to write in the language they feel most comfortable in, and we will be able to respond to them in their language as well. And then also the second point I wanted to make is the calendar, the chronological planning timeline they have in front of them. Our intention is to develop a personal relationship with our families. In this way we can answer questions throughout this time, so that we have multiple spaces or points of contact to be able to
084answer these questions. Thank you. And I also want to point out to all the families who are concerned or staff members who are present here or who are watching this meeting. Please continue to be involved in these conversations with the staff and with our board of directors, because we need your voice. This calendar, this timeline is useful and we continue, we need to continue maintaining this channel of communication that goes both ways. And the last thing I would want as a board member is for anyone to lose touch during these difficult decisions. Thank you, miss. Does any other board member have any questions or inquiries? I do have a couple of questions. Could we please go to that slide showing the possible distribution of students? We have information, data about that 86% of students who
085came to Blanton, but by transfer, where did they come from? Many of these students in Arlington are coming from other schools in the Arlington school district, but we have a smaller number of students coming from other school districts. So, yes, we do have students who are finding ways, methods to be able to travel to Blanton. Instead of talking about the total number of students enrolled at Planton School, only 370 students actually live in the geographic area and are geographically assigned to attend Blanon School. Correct. Yes, that's correct. For those students who are being proposed to go to Crow Primary School, but who geographically would correspond to Swift. Dr. Ws mentioned to us a few moments ago that we have 50 students who are scheduled to go to Swift School, but they are going to Crow
086instead. It has been considered, discussed, or I don't know why, but it hasn't been proposed to implement the bilingual program at Swift school. students currently at Swift that actually attend another school to receive bilingual programming, South Davis. If we were to bring all those students back to Swift, the program would over we be oversized at the school. We do n't have the capacity at Swift to house all of those students. So we also want to maintain continuity of services of the students at South Davis. So all students currently being programmed out South Davis we want them to be able to continue their program there. And so the smaller number, the 50 that are left, Yes, we have students who belong to the Swift school and who currently need the bilingual program. So, that's why they're
087going to South Davis. If we wanted to, excuse the expression, repatriate all the students to Swift school who need the bilingual program, we wouldn't be able to accommodate them; we wouldn't have the capacity to have all the students who need bilingual education at Swift. We don't have the necessary size in the facilities. It is for this reason that the bilingual education services that Swift students are receiving and that go to South Davis will not be interrupted. And for that reason the plan is to take these 50 students from Blanto who need the bilingual program, but who would be eligible for Swift, rather to send them to Crowd. These students mostly live closer. deep into the swift zone. They're closer to the current bletty close, but they're not all around. Most of these students are not
088far from another geographical area, they are still closer to Blanton, but that's why they are put in Crow, but it does seem that a good number of them live closer. Would that mean that we would have tove the Swift zone students who are at South Davis at Swift? It would depend if they wanted to. The question is whether, if we were to decide to open the bilingual program services at Swift School, we would have to provide these services to the students receiving bilingual education in South Davis plus the students from Blanton. The answer is that it would also depend on the family's decision if they wanted to return to Swift, which is the school that initially corresponds to them geographically. The recommendation and the main reasons behind this planning, these decisions, has been to continue
089providing services to meet the needs of our students without interrupting the services that are already being provided on other campuses. We provide transportation services to bilingual students who need to go to Suis, but who are going to South Davis. Since it is a bilingual center, if they live beyond the 2-mile boundary, they will receive transportation. How many students are there, approximately? I think it's close to 100. It's an approximate number of 100. That would be all about this. Uh, can we go, please, to slide number 19. Question for the gentleman: We have seen a growth in the soft school index which was at 30 and is now at 54, approximately in 10 years. But I want to give him the opportunity to explain this because some voices have stated that the reason for this continued
090deterioration has been because the district has not paid attention or has not taken the corresponding actions to make the arrangements, the repairs. But in reality, yes, Blanton Elementary School has received a good amount of money from the 2014 budget. That's correct. Planton School has also received a significant amount of bond money in 2019 to make repairs and additions to areas such as the playground. In English it's the playground, also the painting and other parts of the school. I would like to give you an approximate number, please. It will be more than 10 million dollars. In 2014, 3,300,000 was spent on part of the bonus received. So the main difference also has to do with inflation, the difference in inflation that was seen before and after the COVID pandemic. That means that before, with the same
091amount of money, you could do more. That would probably be a calculation like 6 million dollars today. Also in 2013, $10 million was added for implementation in classrooms, and in the 2019 bonus, do you know how much it was? Yes, it was a million dollars and that was mainly in the areas of the exterior patios, the gardens, uh also the playground and the painting inside the building. In the last 3 years we have invested, spent approximately 20 million dollars. Yes sir. Despite these investments, due to the age of the building, these needs continue to increase and accelerate . Let's look at slide number 14. On the right-hand side of this chart, we have three schools that were built after 2020. That 's correct. In 2022 we opened the web school, and then Thornton Berry was
092inaugurated in 2024. But if these new campuses hadn't been built, they would be here in the soft land area. Correct? That. Plus two more. And then you factor in the major improvements we made to Crow. Uh Crow we drove the crowd FCI down to 8%. We also need to factor in the significant improvements that were made to Crow Elementary School. Other factors also have to do with the significant improvements in Rodriguez over the last 6 years. I understand, I also have one last question. On Thursday we will have a meeting, a presentation, a capital needs report where improvements will also be suggested for South Davis. Correct. Currently, what is the utilization and what is the number of students enrolled at South Davis for comparison? We have it here because of the demographer's report . South
093Davis currently has 631 students, but it has the capacity to serve 714 students, so the utilization rate is much higher. Thank you. So it's almost over capacity. We have eight. We have eight portable cabins and also the size of the classrooms. That would be all. Thank you. I I could ask a few more questions to get some of the information out, but I'll just go ahead and um tell where I'm at. So I I have thought about this very hard and I will support the administration. So, yes, I would have other questions, but let's move on. I have thought about this matter a great deal. Uh, what I'm going to do is personally support the administrative decision, the proposal to close Blanton Elementary School . Without wanting to stay until very late. Those members of
094the audience who are present, if they are interested in knowing my reasoning behind this particular decision to support the school closure, would like to hear the reasons. Miss Garcia is there and we have I have been at every meeting that you have been at and so you've heard me say this but this hits close to home to me because of graduated from Now, Miss Garcia, you have been at every meeting that I have been at, you have heard me say this before, but I'm going to say it again. This part of the community is the area where I grew up because I went to Houston School. And when I joined the board of directors in 2017, Blanton Elementary School was almost full. Now, when I arrived at the board of directors, I had a series
095of things, a series of items, things that I wanted to perform or wanted to accomplish, and they were to rebuild and fix, repair the schools that are in the geographical area where I grew up. That geographic area includes Planton School. As Miss Carvajal told me during recess, the break we had, she said, "I pay taxes so that more schools can be built, so that more hospitals can be built, not so that there are fewer schools." But many things have changed since then, and that's why I want to explain it to you step by step. In order for us to have the money to rebuild the buildings or to reconstruct the buildings inside, we have to go to the voters and we have to be able to increase the amount we collect. In 2014 and 2019,
096we obtained voter approval to collect a lot of money from them to rebuild several of Harliton's schools. That's why in this chart Berry, Web and Thton are new schools and are in very good condition, and that's also the same for Crow school and also the replacement for Rodriguez Junior High. And I know from discussions with the administration before it, and from conversations and discussions we have had with members of the current administration and previous administrations, that we have every intention of continuing down that path. But one part of the situation is that Blanton Primary School has been deteriorating more rapidly. Another factor is that it only has half the number of students it can be enrolled in. And nearly 100 of the students who attend Blanton School do not belong to the Blanton geographic area
097. So, if I had to look only at the condition, the deterioration of the infrastructure and the enrollment, if I had to choose between Blanton School and South Davis School, I would have to choose Blanton because the deterioration is greater, but the number of students is greater at South Davis. Normally that wouldn't be enough for me to support the closure of Blanton. I would choose to wait two or three years to be able to raise the money to build something like the Web School or the Torton School, something to replace Blanon. But many people have already spoken and explained about academic performance, scores, and ratings, so we don't have that time. So, uh, Blanton has a pretty strong staff in the accounting field. The score he got in 2022 was B. Texas grade test. But
098something changed in 2023, and one of those things was that the agency, the state of Texas, changed the rules for how the Star State exams are graded. And now this has changed so much, so drastically, that the situation has shifted dramatically in just one year. In one year, we had only 5% of schools below a C score. The following year, we reached 50% of schools in the Arlington school district below a C. And we didn't know that Planton had fallen from a C to three FS until last summer. So, yes, it feels like a quick decision because it is a quick decision. But as I told you in the previous meeting and also in the meeting with the parents, if we don't make the decision now, the Texas Education Agency will come and they will
099make the decision for us. And that decision isn't just going to affect Blanton. Because if they, the Texas education agency, were to come and close Blanton School, this wouldn't just affect Blanton School, because if they had to close one school, they would take control of the school district and they could close any school they decided to close. So yes, I do firmly believe that with time, the staff of Blanto, together with the families of Blanto, working together, can achieve the progress that is needed. But unfortunately, due to state laws, we don't have the time, we don't have enough time to make that decision later. So it is with great regret, with great sorrow, that we support the decision to close Blant. And then have discussion on the motion if it has a second time, and
100if it has a second time, what I'm going to do at this moment is dictate my motion, and if anyone else would like to second the motion, we can hear them, but what we're going to do then is move forward, move to the next step of this motion, declare and clarify that we, as the board of directors, are supporting the decision, the administrative proposal to close the Blan elementary school due to the considerations of the measures that have been seen. Vice President MCM has seconded this . been provided to uh to the board in in post advance. Um this is a board resolution of Arlington ISD authorizing the permanent closure of Blant and Elementary. Are you okay with me reading after you? Sounds good to me. You have a copy to I have it now.
101Okay. There's one there's one part where I will I'm going to add just a few words that's not there. Which one is the Yes. Thank you. Go ahead. Okay. Whereas the board of trustees of Arlington ISD is committed to ensuring the efficient and effective use of district resources to provide high quality educational opportunities for all students. And whereas the board is reviewed enrollment trends, facility conditions, instructional programming and operational efficiency across the district as part of its longrange planning process. And whereas Blant Elementary number 220901102 has experienced a sustained decline in student enrollment over the past several years resulting in underutilized capacity and increase per people operational costs. And whereas the Blanton Elementary facility originally constructed in 1956 is one of the oldest facilities in the district and this is an addition I'm making. And
102despite substantial facilities work over the years still requires significant capital investment to meet modern safety, accessibility and instructional standards. And whereas closure of Blant and Elementary will promote operational efficiency allowing for more allowing for more strategic allocation of personnel, maintenance maintenance and budgetary resources in support of the district's educational mission. And whereas consolidating the Blant and Elementary Student population with nearby campuses will enable the district to improve academic program offerings, maximize access to specialized instruction and enrichment opportunities and strengthen overall educational quality. And whereas the board has engaged in a transparent public process including community meetings and stakeholder communication to consider the impact of this closure and ensure a smooth transition for students and staff. Now therefore be it resolved that one the board of trustees of Arlington ISD hereby approves the permanent closure of
103Blanton Elementary number effective at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Two, the superintendent is directed to implement all necessary steps to facilitate the closure, including development and execution of a student reassignment plan ensuring continuity of educational services. Implementation of a staff transition plan providing fair placement and support for affected employees and execution of a community communication plan to maintain transparency and stakeholder engagement. Three, the superintendent is further authorized and directed to provide formal notification to the Texas education. agency of the board's decision in compliance with 19 Texas administrative code section 97.1066 no lander the March 31st, 2026. for the board affirms that this closure is permanent and that Blant Elementary will not reopen under a different name, configuration or identification number without prior approval from the Texas education agency. We are going to read
104at this moment the resolution of the board of trustees authorizing the Arlington school district to permanently close Blanton Elementary School, where it says here that the board of trustees, the members of the Arlington school district board of trustees, are committed to ensuring the efficient and effective use of district resources to provide high-quality educational opportunities for all students, where it says here that the board of trustees has reviewed both enrollment patterns, the condition of the facilities, instructional programming and operational efficiency throughout the district as part of its long-term planning process, where it is seen here that Blanton Elementary School with number 2209012 has experienced a sustained decline in the number of students enrolled in recent years, resulting in the underutilization of capacity and increasing operating costs per student. And where it is stated here that Blanton
105Primary School , originally built in 1956, is one of the oldest organizations in the district and despite the investments that have been made, it needs capital investments to achieve modern accessibility, safety, and instructional standards. In addition, the closure of Blanton Elementary School will promote operational efficiency, allowing for better strategic placement of staff , maintenance, and budget resources in support of the district's educational mission. Furthermore, it is established that the student population of Blanton Elementary School, along with the campuses and nearby schools, will allow the district to improve its academic program offerings , maximizing access to specialized instruction and enrichment opportunities, and further strengthening the overall quality of education . In addition, the board of directors is involved in a transparent public process , including meetings with the community and communication with stakeholders to consider the
106impact of this closure and ensure a smooth transition for students and staff. Therefore, it is hereby resolved that the Arlington School District Board of Trustees approves the permanent closure of Blanton Elementary School number 2209012. It shall be effective at the end of the 2025-2026 school year . Number two, the superintendent is instructed to implement all necessary steps to facilitate the closure, including the development and execution of a student reassignment plan to ensure the continuity of educational services. Implementation of a transition plan with staff to provide fair placement and support for affected employees and the execution of a community communication plan to maintain transparency and stakeholder engagement. Uh, three, the superintendent is hereby authorized and directed to provide formal notification to the Texas Education Agency concerning this decision of the board in accordance with Administrative Code
107199 97.1066, no later than March 31, 2026. Number four, the board affirms that this closure is permanent. Blanton Elementary School will not reopen under a different name, configuration, or ID number without prior approval and authorization from the Texas Education Agency . This is being adopted and approved on January 20, 2026 by the Arlington School District Board of Trustees with the present quorum and votes in favor. Thank you. Do any of the board members have any further comments before we proceed with the votes? I believe that throughout the 8 years that I have been serving as a member of the board, this is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make. This decision brings me no peace, but I know it is necessary. Thank you, Miss Fler. Very good. So, if there are
108no other members of the board requesting to speak, we will now proceed with the vote. All members of the board of directors present voted in favor of the administrative proposal. I want to thank all the members of the board of directors, as well as the members of the community, the families of Blanton, for having a very good conversation today. Um, I want to assure you that our staff is taking notes on all the comments that have been made today, as well as the concerns and worries that have been raised by families. As we continue to develop the transportation plans and geographical boundaries along with the transition support, we will do our best to take all aspects into consideration. Thanks a lot. Thank you all very much. We no longer have any other exhibitors. There are
109no further comments from the superintendent. Very good. So, as there are no more items on today's agenda, the session is adjourned. See you here again on Thursday. Thank you.