Future in flux for Roxton ISD

Roxton ISD will face a hard decision in the next few weeks. With a looming deadline for a November ballot, the school board will have to decide whether or not they can be called “independent” any longer. 

Yesterday, the news broke that Roxton Independent School District was considering different options for the district, with one of them being consolidation with a neighboring school district in 2019-20. Kelly Pickle, superintendent of RISD, said she and the board have held off on making any kind of announcement to keep parents from panicking and pulling their kids from the school. 

“We’ve been studying this for a while,” she said. “People are reacting as if a decision has been made. I hate that.”

She said she wanted to remind everyone that no changes are being made this year. 

“None of this will take place until 2019-20,” Pickle said. “This year we have a wonderful staff hired and are ready to go. We’re here to serve our kids, and if something changes, we will be sharing that directly through multiple avenues.”

The board will have a community information meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the school cafeteria, she said. 

“Our board, our principal and I will be there to describe  what has necessitated these intense study meetings over the past month,” she said. 

The options facing the district are consolidation or reduction, dropping from a school district with pre-k through 12th grade to a district of pre-k through fifth grade. The board also has the option of riding it out until the state steps in and makes the decision for them. 

“Honestly, I can’t tell  you what the board’s decision will be,” Pickle said. “I applaud our board for taking the reins and wanting to be armed with information. We do have a community that would like to see a school in Roxton, but we also want the best for our kids.”

She said with the budget the way it is, keeping up with a quality education for the students is getting harder every year. Pickle said the funding loss comes directly from losing funding from the state. She said the district was $240,000 short for the year, and they’ve trimmed payroll, but Roxton ISD will still have to dip into the fund balance for $134,000 this year. 

“We’ll be trying to close that gap,” she said. “We will go into the fund balance for this year, and potentially into the 18-19 school year, and that’s even after trimming staff. That’s all enrollment driven and the loss of state aid.”

She said the 2019-20 budget is looking precarious as well.  

“Our board would rather be proactive,” Pickle said. “It’s been a lot of sleepless nights and long discussions.”

If the board did go with consolidation, she said the voters in Roxton ISD would have to approve it. In order to get on the November ballot, the district would have to make a decision and have an agreement in place within the next few weeks. 

Tim Walsworth, the head of the Roxton Ex-Students Association, said he “hates to lose it,” but he understands the decision facing the school district. 

“We all know how smaller schools are suffering,” he said, citing lack of state funding. “I think the board is doing it’s due diligence and are being proactive, which is a good thing.”

He said he hasn’t been hearing a lot of negative around town. 

“I think everyone around town wants to see what’s on the table,” he said. 

Hope Vorheis, a parent in the school district, said she and her husband are of the mindset “we don’t have enough info.” She said they will back Roxton 100 percent. 

“They’ve been wonderful to us,” she said. “We’re very sad. We moved here specifically for that small-town feel, but we understand things happen. We will be here 100 percent to support Mrs. Pickle, the board and the teachers.”

Roxton resident Christina Meek, who has two children in the district, one sophomore and one in the eighth grade, said both of her children are very upset.

“They are both very concerned for the teachers as well,” Meek said. “I honestly don’t like the idea of either. My kids have attended Roxton ISD since pre-k. Neither option really benefits them.”

She said one of her kids has already been transferred to Honey Grove. 

“My husband and I are pulling our 10th grader and transferring him to Honey Grove this year,” Meek said. “We have decided to let my eighth grader stay ethis year, then we will transfer to Honey Grove as well.”

Pickle said the board will meet Tuesday night to discuss the matter further. 

“We want to make sure we do things that take care of our staff and our kids,” she said.