Bomb threats; guns and knives on campuses; persistent bus problems; sweltering classrooms; teachers begging publicly on social media for necessary supplies; students denied permission to accept invitation to perform in Sugar Bowl parade. (The mayor stepped in to solve this. Mike Miles was entirely unaware, he said). HISD has a lot to overcome in coaxing voters to approve Mile’s historic bond proposal. He wants $4.4 billion to enhance schools and increase student enrollment as the state seeks to entice students away by offering stipends to use at parochial schools. Now Miles wants to “co-locate” eight mostly minority schools with seven other campuses. He claims that each school would be independent entities as they share cafeterias and gymnasiums. He has not explained how this will affect sports or special activities, nor has he converted many parents.
On September 18th Dr. Daniel Solis made a 30-minute presentation at the first public information meeting. In it Najah Callander, HISD’s senior executive director for external engagement, said the co-location of Franklin and Edison schools would probably not even be ready before August 2028. Per Doctor Solis, “We want to do everything we can to ensure that our families and our students are receiving the best education possible, and … keep our students within HISD.” Still, parents were startled and anxious. Mr. Callander said the district is holding more meetings to inform the community and communicate with parents about the plan, extending more occasions for the disict to engage and encourage involvement from the families who would be affected by the measure before the vote.
Christina Quintero is the mother of two Port Houston Elementary students. Their campus will merge with Pleasantville Elementary and Holland Middle School at a new site, “The Furr Campus.” She opposes the plan saying. “Th is should not be an option; “Each community deserves its own space, deserves its own school and deserves a quality education.” Kelley Ramirez and Elizabeth Coli both have two children each at Edi-son Middle School. Ms. Ramirez is concerned about the big kids bullying the younger ones and the site’s ability to accommodate the influx. Ms. Coli is also uneasy. “I feel like they wouldn’t get the experience they’re supposed to experience in middle school, but at the same time, I know the community needs to improve schools.”
Other parents and community members complained that co-locating will crush their school’s special identities and dilute their community presence. Cognizant of the organized “No trust, no bond” effort among voters, Mr. Callander tried to appease the skeptical. “We are trying really hard to engage with these communities multiple times so that we can make sure that people are hearing about the bond and getting opportunities to give their input and provide feedback,” he said “We know the questions and the concerns may be different, so we’re planning to spend the next several weeks talking to families.” But then HISD refused to re-veal the location or time of the future community meetings.
