The Houston Independent School District has been at the center of controversy this year over their proposal to close five local schools: Jones High School, Fleming Middle School, and Dodson, Henderson, and Port Houston Elementary Schools. HISD claimed a shift in enrollment as the reason behind their proposal to close these school. However, their proposal was met with opposition from the community, and it was decided that four of the five schools will remain open.
Throughout the month of February, parents, teachers, and community activists joined forces to voice their opposition to the school closure proposal. One Sunday they marched from their neighborhoods to the home of Superintendent Terry Grier in protest arguing that the schools are a vital part of their community, and closing them would weaken the surrounding neighborhoods. In addition, many of the community activists felt that the demonstration was important because they were being left out of the decision making process. Some even openly worried about the future of their struggling neighborhoods without a school to keep families around.
However, HISD and Superintendent Grier argued on the financial practicality of closing the five schools. Each school considered for closure had less than 500 students enrolled and long-term, downward enrollment trends suggests the number of students will only get smaller in coming years. More importantly, 915 students (nearly two-thirds) who were zoned to attend Jones High School have enrolled in other HISD schools this year alone. As a result, only 440 students attend Jones High School. Because of the fixed costs to operate a campus, this raises the cost per pupil to nearly $17,000- an amount similar to some of Houston’s best private schools.
The Superintendent’s main argument has been focused on financial benefits, but others have cited more options and different curriculum at surrounding high schools as another reason for the closures. Milby and Chavez High Schools attract about half of all of the students zoned to attend Jones High School who have chosen to enroll in a different school. Both of these campuses are located roughly seven miles away from Jones, so commuting is a real possibility.
A series of community meetings were held at some of the local schools considered for closure. Hundreds of parents and community leaders have attended these meetings and there seems to be considerable push back from those involved. Ultimately, the Superintendent only makes a recommendation to the school board and the school board decides whether to follow through on the plan. Though four of the five schools will remain open, silent protests are ongoing to oppose the decision to close Dodson.