KIPP Texas Public Schools, one of the largest charter operators in the state, announced Thursday it will close five Austin and two San Antonio schools next fall in response to enrollment decline.
Though charter enrollment is still increasing statewide, the closures of charter campuses come at a time that many traditional Texas school districts – including in Austin and San Antonio – are closing campuses to ward off the strains of low enrollment and fiscal woes. In a recording of a meeting with parents, KIPP officials said the plan was meant to get ahead of predicted declining enrollment at these campuses.
“The risk associated with not considering closure of these campuses could result in us making staffing reductions that would severely impact student experience in the classroom and through extracurricular programming,” KIPP’s Chief of Staff Jenna Moon said in the recording…