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.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) stood firmly by the
citizens of Third Ward and James D. Ryan Middle School for they refused to watch the doors of Ryan
close due to a proposal made by Houston’s Board of Education.

Lacking in attendance and unsatisfactory programs are the problems plaguing many of the
schools in Houston’s African American communities. James D. Ryan and Ezekiel Cullen Middle School as
well as Jesse H. Jones and Ross Shaw Sterling High School are in jeopardy of closure and consolidation
due to those problems months after HISD secured 1.89 billion in bond money to revamp the schools in
Houston.

“We made it clear to Dr. Grier (Superintendent of Schools HISD) during the bond discussion that
we would be supportive of the bond only if HISD was willing to bring adequate academic programs into
the Black community,” said Dr. James Douglas,1st V.P. of the NAACP . “He made a commitment to do
so, he said his intent was not to close any African American school and that he would be willing to sit
down and talk to us about improving the academic quality of our schools in our neighborhoods and he
reneged.”

An upset NAACP and community members gathered outside of Ryan Middle School to voice
their concerns at a press conference held hours before a School Board meeting that will determine the
outcome of these four historical schools.

Agenda items E-1 and E-2 call for the consolidation of Ryan into Cullen Middle School,
establishment of attendance boundaries, current boundary maps for Cullen and Ryan, a proposed
boundary map for Cullen, while E-2 entails consolidation of Jones into Sterling High School, the
establishment of attendance boundaries, current boundary map of Jones and Sterling and a proposed
boundary map of Sterling. In absence of Superintendent Terry Grier, School Board members are in a
predicament where they have to choose what is best for the community and legacy of the citizens of
Third Ward present, past and future.

“I feel there is a bait and switch going on,” said Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, a NAACP member. “If
you close Ryan which is an artery to Jack Yates High then Jack Yates will be next. Then Third Ward will
soon become Midtown, so we are taking a stand together as a community to say we are not going for
the bait and switch.”

The continuous changes that are going on in schools such as Ryan where performance is low and
the deficit of money and staff are the precursors to the doors closing at Ryan. The community voiced
that instead of closing the doors why not change the curriculum and use some of the bond money to
revamp the educational standards in the African American community.

Reverend Reginald Lillie, President of the NAACP expressed that if there is something wrong
with the schools in the communities then fixing them should be the solution instead of closure. He also
demanded that the School Board needs to present other options with thorough communications agreed
upon by the communities.

“If we gain the programs that attract students and HISD stops changing the principals and
the teaching staffs that contribute to instability and instead help us build strong schools,” said Arnell
Johnson, a graduate of Jack Yates in 1961 when they were still housed in the now Ryan Middle School.

The changes will bring more instability to students where as they will have to awaken much
earlier to use the school busses to be transported to schools further out of their communities. Parents
are distressed about the changes as they may have to rearrange schedules and have to deal with tired
children who have to adjust to a different surrounding and still do homework.

“They are setting our children up for failure,” said Cathy Blueford Daniels, a community
member. Two years prior Daniels saw the effects of consolidation when Key Middle School moved inside
Fleming Middle School due to mold. “Had this vote happened before the bond election that bond would
have never passed.”

Lillie urged the community to hold the School Board trustees accountable. As they were voted in
they could be voted out if they aren’t listening to the community.

The NAACP stood firm behind their words and all four schools that are under question. The
community is concerned.

“The overall actions of the school board contributes to the destruction of the black community
and the demise of quality in our black schools and when I look over I see more than just a building,
it’s a legacy, the history and our passing down from one generation to the next about our striving for
education and reaching goals of excellence,” said Arnell Johnson.

The NAACP and Third Ward did not win this fight with HISD as Ryan Middle School will move its current
263 students to Cullen Middle School. The trustees voted 5-3 to implement the consolidation of the
schools. The campus will not shut completely down as it will become a magnet school for the district as
The Medical and Health Professions Academy at Ryan Middle School.

In light of the closing of Ryan Middle School the sentiment of “if you close the schools, you kill
the community” hangs heavy over the Third Ward community. The building that stands at 2610 Elgin is
laced with through and through with the history of the African American community in Houston.
Originally it housed Houston’s second Black high school, Yates High in 1926. In the 1920’s and 30’s
African American’s attended night classes for Houston’s College for Negroes which later became Texas
Southern University. After Jack Yates moved into their present location at 3703 Sampson, Ryan Colored
Junior High School was opened and named after Yates second principal, James D. Ryan. In 1970 Ryan
was desegregated and became James D. Ryan Middle School.

The Houston Sun Newspaper hosted their 3RD Annual Future Journalist of
America Symposium March 8th at the Houston Chronicle.
Jack Yates Senior High School learned from some of journalisms top
professionals about the art of writing, how to become journalist while participating in a
write off that demonstrated deadline writing to students.
Constance Robinson of HISD spoke on Public Relations, Jim Newkirk and
colleagues from the Houston Chronicle presented on what it takes to become a
newspaper journalist, Maria Todd of News 92 FM spiced up the event with her signature
voice and gave great tips on how to become a radio broadcaster, Dr. Michael Berryhill,
Chairman of Journalism at Texas Southern University gave tips on the skills writers need
to become journalist, First Amendment Attorney Anthony Griffin brought the energy to
the symposium with his insight on the power of the First Amendment, and Professor
Serbino Sandifer- Walker of Texas Southern University engaged the students in their
favorite past time which is technology and how to make that iPhone and iPad work for
them in journalism.
For their efforts in the write off students were rewarded with medals. This event
is one of the many events that will go on throughout 2013 to celebrate the Houston Sun’s
30th Anniversary.