SAN ANTONIO — Officials with South San Antonio ISD say three of the district's schools will close by the time the 2023-24 academic year begins. The school board finalized the decision at a Wednesday-night meeting.
A district spokesperson said the decision was made to consolidate Athens Elementary, Kindred Elementary and Kazen Middle School next year. District leaders had said those campuses were being targeted for closure due to prolonged declining enrollment, low attendance and an ongoing budget deficit.
Two of those schools were previously closed for two years, starting in 2017, in an attempt to save money and address low enrollment.
"Although this has been a very difficult decision, the focus of our district continues to be providing all students with the best academic opportunities," a district spokesperson said. "We are committed to working through these changes to best serve the SSAISD community."
A community meeting held in February revealed a $12 million deficit in the general fund, largely due to decreasing enrollment. District wide, 56% of classrooms are full.
Furthermore, South San ISD lost more than 2,000 students between the 2012-2013 and 2022-2023 academic school years, going from just under 10,000 students to more than 7,800 students.
SSAISD services about 8,300 students across what will be 13 schools when those facilities shut down operations.
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