Centerville and Handley STEM Consolidation
Learn more about the 2024-25 consolidation process for Centerville Elementary and Handley Elementary.
The district is implementing a campus consolidation plan for the 2024-25 school year. Starting in the fall, students who have been at the Centerville Elementary campus on Keen Drive will go to the Handley STEM Elementary campus at 3725 Broadway Boulevard.
School name, colors and mascot
Quick Facts for 2024-25:
- School name: Handley STEM Elementary
- Mascot: Panthers
- Colors: Red & Black
- Principal: Sharonda Brown
The campus with the combined student body will be known as Handley STEM Elementary. Ida B. Handley was a long-time resident of Rose Hill, Garland, and was honored with the elementary school name in the 1960’s.
Handley STEM is one of the district’s Innovative Schools of Choice. Students in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) school have opportunities for hands-on learning and to participate in enrichment programs to explore various STEM challenges and activities.
Current plans are to retire the Centerville name, based on the community that it originally served.
Culture and traditions
An essential part of this change is honoring the past while celebrating new opportunities and forming new combined campus cultures. Each campus has a unique and special history with achievements to be respected. District staff will collect Centerville artifacts such as trophies and plaques and move them to Handley STEM.
Dress code
For the 2024-25 school year, Handley STEM Elementary will continue as a standardized dress campus that requires students to wear certain colors and types of clothing. Students attending the consolidated school will be expected to comply with the standardized dress code.
Note: The adoption or discontinuance of standardized dress at the school level shall be in accordance with Board Policy FNCA (LEGAL) and the District’s Standardized Dress Adoption and Discontinuance Procedures Manual.
Plans for the old building
The Centerville facility on Keen Road will temporarily house Hillside students for the next two years and will use the Hillside name. Plans for the building past this transitional period have not yet been determined.
See the map below for the location of Handley STEM in comparison to Centerville. The distance between the two schools is 1.5 miles.
General Consolidation FAQs
Expand AllWhen is the first day of school when consolidation goes into effect?
Consolidation goes into effect Aug. 12, 2024, the first day of school for the 2024-25 school year.
Once the current 2023-24 school year ends, staff will begin moving furniture and other materials as needed to prepare for next year at the new location.
Will my children be able to stay together at the new school?
We will work keeping siblings together at the same campus. Please check your Skyward Family Access account to ensure all of your students for whom you are Family 1/Parent 1 have the same Family ID. This will help us to keep them together as we complete the Choice of School process this spring.
Will bus transportation for the people who have been walking their kids to school be available?
Bus transportation is not guaranteed. The factors that determine bus transportation are designated eligibility area(s) for each school, proximity to a neighborhood school, and/or magnet program acceptance. The transportation maps for the 2024-25 school year will be available soon. We recommend that parents carefully review the transportation map data once it becomes available.
Does my family get to participate in Choice of School?
Yes, all GISD families can participate in the annual Choice of School process. There will be fewer options as we consolidate campuses, but everyone will be able to choose the best fit for their children from the available options.
Do I have to participate in Choice of School? Will my student automatically be placed at the consolidation campus if I do not participate in the Choice process?
If you don’t participate in the Choice process, your student will automatically be placed at the consolidation location.
You only need to participate in Choice of School if you want to change to a different school rather than the consolidation/relocated campus.
When the schools consolidate, what will happen to the teachers and other staff at the schools?
For schools that are consolidating, two schools with lower enrollment numbers are being combined into one. While no staff will lose their job because of consolidation, some staffing reassignments will be necessary. As always, the number of staff for each location will be determined by student enrollment and needs.
Principal and other staff assignments will be determined later this spring. For individual staff position assignments, multiple criteria such as GISD staff ratios and teacher tenure will be taken into account. A preference form will be sent to staff for input, and placements will be made according to a holistic rubric.
Note: Because Hillside students and staff are temporarily relocating to what will be an empty Centerville building, no staff changes will be required because of this move. Hillside will simply have a new location for the next couple of years. When Hillside joins Kimberlin in the new building, estimated to open in 2026-27, staffing assignments will be based on the student enrollment and needs at that time.
Will school hours be the same at my consolidation campus?
Yes. All elementary schools have the same school hours of 8:10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Check your school’s website in August for campus-specific information about when doors open, when tardy bells ring and to confirm other schedule information.
Will free breakfast and lunch still be an option at my consolidation campus?
Schools that are identified as Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools automatically provide free breakfast and lunch for students. Other than Hillside, all schools impacted by consolidation are currently CEP schools.
For non-CEP schools, parents have the option to apply for Free and Reduced-Price meals each year.
See the Free and Reduced-Price Meals page for more information, including a list of CEP schools.
What will enrollment numbers look like at consolidated campuses?
Campus enrollment will grow to meet the capacity of the campus. At this time there may be empty classrooms on your child’s campus. During consolidation, we will utilize all classrooms to accommodate students. Your child may notice more students in the hallways or the cafeteria, but the class sizes should not exceed 24 students in grades PreK-4 or 30 in grade 5 for all core instruction. While there may be a change in location during the consolidation, the quality of education your child receives will not be impacted.
Will consolidation impact my property taxes?
No, consolidation won’t directly impact property taxes. Property taxes are determined through a combination of your home’s property value, any applicable homestead exemption and the school district’s tax rate.
What security measures will be in place at the consolidation schools?
The consolidation schools will have the same security measures as other district schools, including planned bond-related security enhancements such as fencing and forced-entry-resistant film at main entrances.
Will Google Maps be updated with the correct names and addresses for the consolidated schools?
Yes, district staff will submit the updated information to Google once this school year is over. Note that Google has a process for this and we can’t control exactly when the updates will appear on their maps.
Submit a consolidation question
Need more information? Submit your questions using this form: