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A group of Carrollton-Farmers Branch parents are calling for others to get out and vote after they say they were blindsided by the decision to close four schools within their district.

The school board voted to shut down the four schools due to a lack of state funding. The schools that are slated to close at the end of the school year are; McCoy Elementary, Furneaux Elementary, Central Elementary and Long Middle School.

"Are y'all considering leaving CFBISD after this decision?" CBS News Texas Reporter Lacey Beasley asked a group of parents.

"I was a student in this district for 12 years. We bought this house because it was in CFBISD and for the first time, I am considering moving my youngest to a different district. It's just the blatant lack of transparency and the blatant disrespect, quite frankly, from these people that we are supposed to entrust our children's education with," said Tierney Gonzalez, a parent in the district.

McCoy parents recently combed through financial records and performance evaluations, trying to understand why the district decided to permanently shut the school's doors.

Families say McCoy is the heartbeat of the neighborhood, and it's highly regarded for its LEAP program for exceptionally gifted students.

According to CFBISD, it's an old building in a feeder pattern that currently has four elementary schools all located within a mile of each other, so closing it would improve district-wide utilization.

"I wish I was more involved, I wish I paid more attention. What's going on? And now I'm seeing everything. I'm like, oh my God, all these things were happening. And like, we didn't know. We just trusted them," said parent Venus Basaran.

"I always vote in the elections. I don't always know a lot, but I always go and vote. But now I know so much about it," said parent Mary Patton.

"These elections are really important. And even if you don't live in this district, go to your own district and look who's your board members. What do they stand for?" said Basaran.

"You woke us all up. We are awake. We are fighting. We're not going anywhere. You close our school. We're not done. I'm not done. If McCoy closes this year and my kids are in a different school next year, I'm active," said Patton.

"It doesn't involve you until it does and at that point, it may be too late. You know you're safe until you're not," said Gonzalez.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD school board president responds

"A lot of people are frustrated with the board, frustrated with you as president, they feel undermined or maybe overlooked. What's a message to parents in your school system?" Beasley asked CFBISD Board President Randy Schackmann.

"I understand. In fact, my son went to McCoy Elementary. As we are doing this, we realize it is painful. Give us a little time, give us a little slack, and I believe we'll find it. This will work out well," said Schackmann.

The overarching issue comes down to state funding.

"Certainly that is a big deal. And that we've been facing [it] since 2019. And look how much everything else has increased with inflation in the last several years," Schackmann said. "And we've been asked to maintain the same level of basic funding for students."

"What do you want to see from the governor when it comes to this lack of state funding?" Beasley asked.

"It's hard to say exactly where that increase should come, because there's several different proposals that are out on the table. You know, educational savings accounts, vouchers, various pieces," Schackmann said. "And, the bottom line is public education is a requirement of the state. And we need the state to step up and accomplish a stronger role in that."

Upcoming school board elections

North Texas school board elections are approaching, with numerous seats up for grabs across the region.

You can check your registration status by going to the Texas Secretary of State website.

The last day to register to vote in the May 3 election is April 3.

Lacey Beasley

Lacey Beasley is an award-winning journalist with CBS News Texas. You can find her on-air every weekday morning.

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