San Angelo ISD Trustee Raises Transparency, Equity Concerns

SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo Independent School District Trustee Karla Cardenas has raised ongoing concerns about transparency and equity following the board's 6-1 vote Jan. 20 to close Reagan and Bowie elementary schools at the end of the 2026-2027 school year. 

Cardenas, the lone dissenting vote, questioned the administration's data supporting the closures during the January meeting. She cited a 2022 consultant's recommendation that praised Reagan's 7-plus-acre site as "a great candidate" for future expansion and noted the campus previously absorbed students from the closed San Jacinto Elementary. 

Cardenas repeatedly requested the weighted criteria used to rank schools for closure, but said the information was not provided before the vote. 

Superintendent Christopher Moran recommended closing the two campuses, citing declining enrollment, a projected $4.3 million deficit by 2027 without action, 33 teacher vacancies, and approximately $900,000 in annual savings per closure. 

The district plans to redraw attendance boundaries for the remaining 12 elementary schools through a community committee, with changes effective for the 2027-2028 school year. 

In a subsequent board meeting held this week, Cardenas criticized the preliminary makeup of the Committee on Academics, Stewardship, and Efficiency (CASE), which will develop boundary recommendations. She said the list lacked sufficient Hispanic representation despite SAISD's student body being approximately 62% Hispanic, but her concerns were not addressed.