Harlandale Independent School District trustees voted late Monday to close four elementary schools to stave off a financial crisis in the upcoming fiscal year.
Presented with two options, the board voted 4-3 to close Columbia Heights, Morrill, Rayburn and Carroll Bell elementary schools this fall, a list generated as an alternative to the district’s original proposal in response to community feedback.
Eighteen speakers in public comments before the vote urged the board to reject the proposals or argued for the closures. In the crowd were T-shirts bearing the names of the affected schools, the district and the teachers union.
Albert Luna, a parent and community member, said four generations of his family have gone to Carroll Bell but he urged the board to “go with the best decision for the district.”
Even faced with the certainty of an…
