TPEDF Files Level One Grievance Against GCISD Over Budget Decisions Impacting Title I Campuses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2025
Contact:
Texas Public Education Defense Fund
[email protected] | www.tpedf.org
TPEDF Files Level One Grievance Against GCISD Over Budget Decisions Impacting Title I Campuses
Colleyville, TX — On July 21, 2025, the Texas Public Education Defense Fund (TPEDF) submitted a formal Community Level One Grievance with Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD), objecting to recent decisions made by the GCISD Board of Trustees during its June 16, 2025, budget adoption.
The grievance challenges the District’s official position formally adopted with the budget, which includes:
- Continuing to increase out-of-district student transfers, a policy that threatens the district’s eligibility for federal Title I funding allocated for economically disadvantaged students;
- Eliminating vital intervention positions at Title I campuses that were previously funded through federal Title grants; and
- Reassigning and altering the roles of Gifted and Talented (GT) Specialists exclusively at Title I campuses.
These actions were taken despite a June 23, 2025, letter submitted to the GCISD Board signed by more than 140 concerned district families urging the Board to reverse the cuts to GT positions at Title I schools. The letter, representing a broad cross-section of the GCISD community, was effectively ignored. The Board proceeded without meaningful response or consideration of the community’s concerns, prompting this formal grievance filing.
“These decisions disproportionately impact GCISD's most vulnerable student populations,” said Andrew Sternke, Executive Director of TPEDF. “It is unacceptable for the district to continue expanding policies that undermine support for economically disadvantaged children, all while stripping away targeted interventions and programs at the campuses that need them most.”
TPEDF's grievance asserts that these budgetary actions demonstrate a troubling pattern of inequity and neglect, potentially violating the district's own equity policy and federal compliance policies. The organization urges GCISD to reconsider these harmful decisions and restore support to Title I campuses.
If GCISD does not address these concerns through its grievance process, TPEDF is prepared to take further action, including formal complaints to the Texas Education Agency and U.S. Department of Education, and, if necessary, litigation.
About TPEDF:
The Texas Public Education Defense Fund is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization committed to defending public education, ensuring equitable funding, and holding school districts accountable to the communities they serve.