The Long View on Texas Schools: Enrollment, Closures, and What Comes Next 

The Texas House Committee on Public Education spent much of its first interim hearing taking up a broad assignment from Speaker Dustin Burrows: study the current state of public education in Texas, including “enrollment trends pertaining to the stability of the school finance system.” Behind that charge is a question worth asking now — what do today's enrollment shifts mean for the future of Texas schools? It is the question at the heart of TASB's newest position paper.

“Some Cuts Don’t Heal: The Permanent Cost of Short-Term Thinking on Texas Schools,” published in our txEDInsights series, argues that the long-range stewardship Texas already expects of local school boards should also guide the state-level decisions that shape enrollment, capacity, and school finance. Enrollment fell by nearly 76,000 students this year, districts are consolidating campuses and cutting programs, and at least 130 public campuses have been slated for closure or consolidation over the past two years. As the paper puts it, some of those decisions cannot be easily undone even if circumstances change. 

The paper lands squarely within the committee’s interim charge — making it a useful frame for the conversations happening at the Capitol and in communities across the state. It’s one more way for board members, administrators, and local leaders to engage with an issue that will define Texas public schools for years to come. 

Share it with your board and your local delegation, and let TASB Governmental Relations know how enrollment shifts are affecting your district — your experience helps inform our advocacy as the committee’s interim work continues.