Following La Marque Independent School District’s financial accountability rating of “Substandard Achievement” in October and loss of its accreditation in November, the Texas Education Agency announced on Dec. 2 that the entire district would be annexed into the Texas City ISD, effective for the 2016-2017 school year.

“I have investigated the education and financial impact on Texas City ISD and find that the annexation will not substantially impair the ability of Texas City ISD to educate students located in the district before the annexation and to meet its financial obligations incurred before the annexation,” said Commissioner of Education Michael Williams in a letter to Texas City ISD Superintendent Cynthia Lusignolo.

Compared to Texas City ISD, La Marque’s enrollment numbers were middling in 2014, with the district supporting 2,306 students while Texas City boasted an enrollment of more than 6,300.

One of the reasons behind La Marque’s low numbers, Williams explained, is that many students are already transferring to Texas City. According to the state agency, more than 220 students transferred out of the LMISD and into TCISD during the 2014-2015 school year.

“Many students from La Marque are already attending schools in the Texas City ISD or some other area alternative,” Williams said.

With the upcoming closure of La Marque now a certainty, there are concerns that residents with children may choose to leave the area for better or more accessible school districts. However, Williams assured that’s not the case, and in fact, the opposite might be true.

“In its truest sense, the closure and annexation of La Marque ISD won’t move students out of the community, because that’s already happening,” he said. “Rather, it likely will bring them back.”