The Texas Education Agency ruled to shut down North Forest Independent
School District on April 1st due to alleged educational performance shortcomings.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee held a press conference shortly after the ruling
on the steps of the Houston NAACP office, joined by Reverend Charles Taylor, North
Forest’s School Board President and Yolanda Smith, the Executive Director of the
NAACP- Houston Branch.
Now that the T.E.A. has made the decision to close North Forest ISD, the
questions that lingers is why and how can the community try to fight the state and keep
the children going to school in their own communities?
Congresswoman Lee believes this is a civil rights injustice as many schools in
the minority community have been closing down in Houston and surrounding areas.
Lee proposes there is still time to look at the proposal to keep the public schools open in
partnership with a public charter.
“People are worried about if they are killing public schools, but what we are
trying to say is that we are saving public schools,” said Congresswoman Lee.
T.E.A. set goals for fledgling schools to reach in order to stay alive and North
Forest ISD worked towards the mark as they improved yet falling just below the target.
According to the Congresswoman Lee North Forest’s school district complied and was
short of two points, within the 10 point requirement of the TEA. They also fell two
people short of the threshold of the 75% graduation rate.
“However, our YES Prep that will graduate in 2014 expects to have above a
75% graduation rate,” said Lee. “So I offer an alternative to the commissioner and one
that looks forward and not backwards; we have overcome all the obstacles the T.E.A.
commissioner spoke to, we are solving.”
One of the chief issues that was presented at the forefront of the debacle but was
not brought up was the finances of the district. North Forest has resolved the fiscal issue
and the bills are paid with money in the bank.
The bigger issue outside of test scores and money are the children. There are
7,500 boys and girls that make up the student ratio of North Forest ISD. The problem
should also reflect onto the children who can walk to school, the children that are
comfortable because they were raised up right there in the district year after year, the
teachers and counselors that love them and share the community with them.
The Congresswoman doesn’t knock Houston ISD as she credits them for being
a good school district but she fears that once the children from North Forest ISD merge
into HISD they will be lost.
“This is not about a tit for tat with HISD or any school district it is to recognize
the historic role that North Forest Independent School District plays in this community
and in the state of Texas,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Can you tell me why we have

become the victim, if you will, of the T.E.A.’s decision of closing schools why do we
have to be an example?”
Going back into the issue of a civil rights violation, Lee cites that T.E.A. has
closed down up to four African- American schools. She goes on that North Forest is the
last district that is majority minority in terms of the board and being a school district
known in the African- American history.
“This is a diverse district,” said Lee. “60 percent African American and 40
percent Hispanic, we think that’s a plus, we love it, we see children learning to work with
each other.”
She is prepared to take the plight of the school district to Washington and will
join North Forest with the national opposition of closing schools. Lee said she will join
with the parents and teachers of Chicago who are facing 53-56 school closings. The
lawyers will be called out and a filing for reconsideration is in effect, following an
administrative procedure act and then it will left up to the courts.
“We will find parents, families and legal representation that will help fight this as
a phenomenon that seems to impact the minority community in a desperate manner,” said
Congresswoman Lee
Although the school district is in the presence of closing the school district is
alive and not dead. They are rooted in the community and have formed a new coalition
with 40 pastors and churches. Congresswoman Lee believes there is no basis with the
improvements North Forest has made to join this school in the closure of schools across
America.
The School Board President, Rev. Charles Taylor was very disappointed in the
order of the closure of the school district. He matched the sentiment of Lee as he stated
he would not give up and he would fight for the children until the end.
“Our children are our most important asset that we have and we intend to fight for
them until the end,” said Taylor.
Executive Director of the NAACP, Yolanda Smith also mentioned the
disappointment from the NAACP and how the children are the most important issue in
the challenge.
“We are willing to fight and the NAACP is very disappointed in T.E.A.’s
decision to close North Forest ISD. The district embodies the whole entire community
and it is the nucleus that holds the entire community together,” said Smith.
Lee also mentioned that North Forest was not given a fair and clear chance to
start over when they were warned by T.E.A. previously. Every school has a ratings
number and when North Forest ISD closed down two of its high schools and
consolidated into one large high school which is the current North Forest High School it
was not given a new rating number. The Congresswoman strongly feels like that was not
fair and did not give the district a fair chance to show the improvements.
A petition has been going around and has over 10,000 signatures to oppose the
closure of the school district.