Dallas ISD Weighs Closing Six Campuses
District trustees will discuss a consolidation plan Thursday as Dallas ISD works to close a budget deficit of more than $100 million.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Child Care
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Dallas ISD is considering closing or consolidating six campuses, three of them early learning centers, to address a budget deficit of more than $100 million. The district says consolidation could save about $2.6 million per campus closure.
Why it matters
The proposal would affect families in South Dallas and Oak Cliff, and it comes after the state approved billions in restricted education spending last legislative session. Residents of Dallas and the surrounding area are watching how the district balances early childhood services against budget pressures.
Joseph J. Rhoads Early Learning Center enrolls 122 students with room for 130 and costs Dallas ISD about $1.7 million a year to operate, or nine cents per $100 of the budget. The district has not yet finalized which campuses would close, and the total savings from the full six-campus plan remain unstated.
The players
Dallas ISD
The Dallas Independent School District is the public school system considering the closures to address its budget deficit.
Sanders
Sanders met with Harllee families and community members on Monday night to discuss the proposed closure.
Estelle
Estelle has gathered more than 560 signatures in support of keeping the Rhoads early learning center open.
The details
Under the proposal, some Rhoads students would move to H.S. Thompson Elementary, and Rhoads houses a family resource center serving Dallas ISD families. Estelle has gathered more than 560 signatures to keep Rhoads open, while families affected by the Harllee closure would eventually have the option of attending the new Cedar Crest Elementary School.
Timeline
2020: Bond package funded construction of the Resource Center South.
2024: Resource Center South opened.
This year: Dallas ISD expanded full-day pre-K to all income levels.
Monday night: Sanders met with Harllee families and community members.
Thursday: School board to discuss the consolidation plan.
Seasonal Patterns
Dallas ISD's consolidation proposal follows a wave of deficit-driven campus reviews among Texas districts, including Austin ISD, Houston and Richardson, which the source cites as facing similar shortfalls. The move places early learning centers at the center of a debate that the state's restricted education spending has not resolved.
Families whose children attend Rhoads or Harllee would need to plan for transfers to H.S. Thompson Elementary or the future Cedar Crest Elementary School. Parents in South Dallas and Oak Cliff should watch the board's decision on Thursday to understand where their children may be enrolled.
The takeaway
Early learning centers can be among the first targets when districts face budget shortfalls, so families should track board agendas closely. Watching how Dallas ISD weighs enrollment against cost may help parents anticipate changes in their own child care options.
What happens next
The Dallas ISD school board will discuss the consolidation plan on Thursday.
Further reading
Explore more on Dallas child care as the district weighs its early learning centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KERA.
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