Magnet Schools and RISD's Budget Hole

The Richardson ISD Board of Trustees has a regular meeting Thursday, February 22, 2024. One of the (many) items on the agenda is this:

TOPIC Recommended Budget Reductions: Project Rightsize

In December, the Community Budget Steering Committee presented a series of recommendations to effectively “right-size” the budget...

The Administration Team will provide an update on the budget planning and recommendations for the Board’s consideration and feedback.

Source: Richardson ISD.

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I wrote about the needed budget cuts in December, 2023, when the Community Budget Steering Committee presented their recommendations: see "Plugging RISD's Budget Hole". Rereading my instantaneous, off-the-top-of-my-head reactions to the committee's recommendations, I find they hold up pretty well. I don't have much to change. But I do want to add one thing. It was prompted by a comment made by former trustee Kris Oliver. He said then, "An honest assessment of our magnet programs and their impact on enrollment patterns also needs to be included in the planning."

I second that sentiment. I've written about magnet schools in Richardson ISD over many years. For example, from 2017: "Magnet Schools and Neighborhood Schools". Another example, from 2012: "Magnet Schools and Racial Segregation". As you can tell from the titles, magnet schools have played a role in some big issues for RISD. Five years ago, I wrote, "I had questions about the purpose and effect of magnet schools in Richardson that I couldn't answer [in 2012] and I still can't answer today. I don't believe there has been adequate public discussion. It's time." Well, if it was time five years ago, it's long overdue today. I still have questions. The budget crisis might be a good time to open this touchy subject.

I'll start by asking questions:

• Thinking of families with school-aged children as a "market" for RISD to serve, what's the size of that market? That is, how many school-aged children live in RISD? How many are we "losing" to private schools, public charter schools, and home schooling? I've never seen that number published. It seems like it's important to know when we're considering closing schools.
• How many children enrolled in magnet schools would we lose if we eliminated the magnet school option?
• How much more expensive is it to educate a student at a magnet school than a neighborhood school?
• Should we consider closing or at least moving magnet programs to under-utilized schools? If that leaves the schools currently hosting magnet programs under-utilized themselves, would we save more money by closing those school buildings instead of some neighborhood schools?
• Here's a heretical thought suggested by one reader. Maybe trying to keep every student in RISD is simply too expensive. RISD could save money by eliminating the most expensive programs that push the cost of educating children in those programs above the marginal cost of educating each child. How much money? How many parents would quit RISD? A study is needed to see if there are any such programs.
• Open enrollment is an option under consideration, with it being defined as opening enrollment to families who live outside RISD boundaries. What about open enrollment inside RISD? I would think that just shifting kids around inside RISD would leave an open seat for every seat filled elsewhere. But what if open enrollment has a beneficial side effect of keeping some parents from withdrawing their children from RISD altogether?

I feel like I'm cheating you by asking questions I can't answer. If the Community Budget Steering Committee already asked and answered these questions before arriving at their recommendations, I apologize for not paying enough attention to know. If the RISD has answers, I haven't seen them.

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"Budget shortfall looms.
Committee's voice sounds warning,
Schools' fate lies in change."
—h/t ChatGPT