Parents in the Montrose and Heights neighborhoods of Houston are pushing back against the Houston Independent School District (HISD) after a recent decision to drop local zoning at two coveted dual-language schools, the Wharton Dual Language Academy and James F. Helms Elementary, stirring worry and agitation among families looking forward to the language immersion their children would have received at these A-rated institutions, according to a report from KPRC 2 Houston.
Reacting to the board's swift reclassification move, Jessica Soeder, a Heights parent, expressed her concerns, "It's the culture, it’s the language," and now due to an item put on HISD’s agenda on Tuesday and passed on Thursday, her child's educational plans are now "very much in limbo and up in the air" she said children from these neighborhoods might now miss out on the dual-language program that’s been a big draw for residents; this change could also impact local property values because, as Soeder points out, "With Helms, property values are going to be higher because they are zoned to an A-rated school, if our zoning changes that will 100 percent affect your property value," she told KPRC 2 Houston.
About 50 parents from the Montrose community recently met to voice their dismay, with one mother fighting back tears over the uncertainty of her daughter's pre-K placement, "I thought this was such a wonderful opportunity and I feel like the rug has been pulled out from underneath me" she shared during an open forum, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. HISD has countered this by saying they will retain seats for current students at the schools and have urged families who would have been zoned to reach out, looking to accommodate as many as possible amidst the feedback and concerns they are now fielding from the bewildered communities.
On another front, Colin McCulley, another concerned parent was quoted saying, "The HISD board approved change without any details and our neighborhood has essentially been abandoned by the HISD board,” during a gathering at Midtown Bar and Grill, according to the Houston Chronicle. Meanwhile, HISD has promised to create a plan within the next 60 days for the long-term future of each campus, but with pre-kindergarten applications closing next week and many decisions in the balance, parents are not assuaged, they're left scrambling as HISD board member Adam Rivon added, "So there’s some nuance to Separate and Unique schools that I won't get into..." during interactions with upset parents, as KPRC 2 Houston reported.
