Almost a year after trustees for the San Antonio Independent School District voted to close 15 schools, district officials gave the public a chance to fill out a survey to weigh-in on how SAISD should use the now empty buildings.
The survey asks community members to select from nearly a dozen potential uses, including mental health services, early childhood education for children from 0-3, affordable housing for SAISD teachers and staff, and green spaces like parks and playgrounds.
The survey is anonymous. It just asks participants to generally identify themselves as parents, students, teachers, business owners, or other community members. It also asks whether participants live in the district and if they live within walking distance of an empty school.
The survey in English and Spanish follows a series of community meetings the district held in August and September to explain the repurposing process.
During the first community meeting, district officials said some closed school buildings will still be empty in two years.
A committee of community members have been meeting since … to discuss uses for the buildings. SAISD also solicited advice from real estate experts.
Ensuring the buildings don’t remain empty indefinitely has been a focus and a concern for district trustees since early in the school closure process.
