SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio ISD last year voted to move forward with its so-called "rightsizing" initiative, closing more than a dozen facilities and relocating hundreds of students in the face of declining enrollment trends.
Now, with those students in different schools and their former classrooms quiet, district officials are asking the public to weigh in on a different conversation: what to do with those closed schools, which include Lamar Elementary and Highland Park Elementary.
The district has launched a survey to gather that input and see how the facilities could be "reimagined so that the buildings continue to benefit and serve them." It follows a series of in-person meetings organized to collect initial feedback in August and September.
The survey – which can be accessed here – will be open through at least through the end of December. The district cited some potential plans for what it's calling a "repurposing" effort, including providing services for young children; servicing community members needing special education; and housing for STEM or fine arts education. But non-education services are also being considering, such as turning the buildings into affordable housing or mental health resource hubs.
You don't have to be a parent of an SAISD student or district employee to take the survey, which is available in English or Spanish.
Eleven schools and four early childhood centers were closed as part of the district's downsizing endeavor. All those, as well as five properties that shut down prior to the 2023-24 school year, are being considered for repurposing.
Meanwhile, the Facilities Repurposing Panel will next meet at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 at 514 West Quincy Street. The group said in August it's planning to start accepting proposals for the buildings sometime in 2026, but SAISD officials say this week that that timeline is flexible.
