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Ahead of HISD Campus Building Projects, Sparks Fly Over School Closings & Consolidation

Posted byHoumanitarian

Related: Residents protest before
HISD meeting (KHOU 11 News)

Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle
The HISD school board voted 5-3 Thursday night to close Ryan Middle School due to low enrollment over strong objections from Third Ward community members who accused the district of discriminating against black students.

The board, however, unanimously agreed to table a proposal to merge Jones and Sterling high schools, a plan that also drew criticism from south Houston community leaders who said HISD misled them while pushing passage of its $1.9 billion bond referendum last November. Superintendent Terry Grier and the board did not mention school closures or mergers while promoting the bond, which included funding for renovations at Jones and a new building for Sterling.

Roughly two dozen speakers – mostly alumni and community activists – blasted the Houston Independent School District over the closure plans, at times nearing tears and shouting from the audience. They called the Ryan closure “blatantly discriminatory” and warned of “catastrophe” of merging students from rival Jones and Sterling.

Ryan, the district’s smallest middle school with 263 students, will close at the end of this academic year. The students will attend Cullen, which is 4 miles away.

“When education leaves a community, that community begins to spiral because that’s the centerpiece,” said Rev. Reginald Lillie, the president of the NAACP of Houston. “Outside the church, we need education.”
(Read more of this story at Chron.com)

OTHER COVERAGE:
• HISD Approves Merger of Ryan, Cullen Middle Schools (News 92 FM)
• Community expresses concern for HISD consolidation plans (KRIV 26 News)
• Houston ISD Begins Rolling Out $2 Billion Bond Program (KUHF Public Radio)

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