Tag Archives: closure

Education

HISD Board of Education votes Dodson down

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Live:
The HISD Board of Education on Thursday voted to table indefinitely an agenda item to cancel the consolidation of Dodson Elementary with Blackshear, the Rusk School and Lantrip elementary schools. The 5 to 3 vote comes after much debate on the topic and a move by board members who brought the item back to the agenda late last week. Trustee Paula Harris was absent from the meeting.

Trustees that voted for the item to be tabled indefinitely were Michael L. Lunceford, Harvin C. Moore, Anna Eastman, second it, Manuel Rodriguez and Greg Meyers.
Trustees that voted against was Wanda Adams, Juliet Stipeche,president and Rhonda Skillhern-Jones.
No vote from Paula Harris.

Protesting at Dodson Elementary
Protesting at Dodson Elementary

“Despite being unpopular and difficult, school consolidations represent opportunities to strengthen schools,” said Superintendent Terry Grier.

Community member moaned from their seats as Assata Richards, said aloud, “a day of reckoning is going to come,” before officers approached her to escort her from the meeting. She continued, “You can’t silence the people forever.”

Another school closure has only added fuel to the flame as Jones High School in South Park was repurposed only a month ago.

A bittersweet point is that Blackshear will adopt the Montessori program that Dodson offers but the students that have benefitted from the Montessori program at Dodson will not necessarily have the access at the new school they attend in the fall. That is a another sore note for parents.

Trustees voted 5 to 4 to close Dodson Elementary.

Education

HISD repurposes Jones High School, shuts down Dodson Elementary, sends community into outrage

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Jesse H. Jones High School
Jesse H. Jones High School

Houston Independent School District (HISD) made their final decision to repurpose Jones High School and close down Dodson Elementary despite constant opposition from the community the serve.

The School Board voted 6-3 to keep Jones High School open and voted 5-4 to close Dodson Elementary. Jones will remain open but will have a similar fate as Ryan Middle School in Third Ward did, it will be repurposed as an academy for career placement. Majority of the students who may not fit the qualifications to go to the new academy will be sent to Worthing and Sterling High Schools.

“I wonder what Terry Grier would do or say if his child won’t be able to graduate from the school they love,” said Shanna Paul, a parent of a junior at Jones.

Travis McGee is a vocal parent who voiced his opposition at an earlier press conference and stood against the closure of Dodson as his children had already been shifted once before to Dodson from another school closure. Dodson students will now be zoned to Blackshear or Lantrip Elementary.

The decision was not met with silence as a recess had to be called as parents became emotional and the firing of Superintendent Terry Grier was chanted aloud.

“School closure discussions are never easy,” said Grier. “However, we must continue to have constructive conversations on the issue of school size and school efficiency. Not to do so could be harmful to our communities and the students that reside in them. The goal remains creating better, stronger schools.”

Community activist such as Charles X. White are calling for a federal inquiry about an alleged civil rights violation in HISD against the Black and Hispanic communities. The issue of where is the bond money is still looming in the air as Jones was promised a new school in the 2012 bond proposal that was passed.

The other three schools, Henderson Elementary, Port Houston Elementary and Fleming Middle School, were taken off the consideration list after their communities held town hall meetings in objection.

Education

HISD threatens to shutdown Jones High School, community wants Superintendent Terry Grier out

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Concerned parents and leaders in the African American community came out to protest the proposed closure of Jones High School and four other predominately African American schools in Houston Independent School District.

Kofi Taharka, leader of the National Black United Front- Houston, held a microphone and led the rally in a chant saying they were fired up and they wanted Terry Grier, Superintendent of HISD out.
“Are willing to put our money on the line for tis, are we willing to go to the School Board meeting on Thursday,“ Tahaarka asked the crowd? The answer was yes, every time.

The African American community in Houston is facing more closures or “repurposing” of community based schools in highly dense areas of Blacks. Jones High School has been in the hot seat prior to this decision and has a momentary reprieve but the issue is now back before the School Board on whether to keep Jones High as is or whether to close or repurpose the school.

“This is ridiculous; Terry Grier and HISD are not properly assessing the schools. This community is rebuilding and to close the school without allowing the growth makes no sense. This is not about education,” said Assata Richards, a member of the Houston Housing Authority and a graduate of Jones.

Parent and former students alike have expressed that HISD is not thoughtful of the students and community’s well- being and education.

“If they close the school, they kill the community, it’s that simple,” said Vice President of Houston’s Super Neighborhoods, Tomaro Bell.

With many school closures, residents are worried about the feeder path from elementary to middle to high school and the interruptive flow it will have to close down schools such as Dodson Elementary which was also another sore spot for parents.

Dodson, Henderson, Port Houston Elementary, Fleming Middle and Jones High School are all on the chopping block for Thursday’s School Board meeting. Community member are asked to come out and support their community schools at the Hattie Mae White Educational Center at 4400 West 18th St. Houston, TX 77092 and protest the closure at the School Board meeting Thursday, March 13, 2014.

Kofi Taharka, Minister Robert Muhammad and community members rally to save Jones High.
Kofi Taharka, Minister Robert Muhammad and community members rally to save Jones High.

School closures are attributed to low enrollment, high transfers out, high budget cost per student and changing demographics.
View www.houstonsun.com to see remarks from Minister Robert Muhammad on the state of African American schools in Houston and the leadership in HISD.