Sitting just an hour north of Houston, the Colony Ridge development has experienced a population explosion, leading to a student enrollment surge at Cleveland ISD (CISD). The Houston Chronicle reports that the district has enrolled nearly 10,000 new students in the past decade, a whopping increase of 211%, making CISD one of the state’s fastest-growing districts. As of last Friday, CISD's enrollment had hit 12,370, with nearly 90% of these students residing in Colony Ridge.
Despite the burgeoning student population creating a dire need for expanded educational facilities, local voters have consistently shot down bond measures intended to address the issue. Once eager to approve bond money, the district has now faced three failed attempts in as many years, leaving its funds to build drying up like a neglected Texas watering hole. “I try to tell people when it comes to passing a bond, if you don’t build it, it doesn’t mean they won’t come,” CISD Superintendent Stephen McCanless told the Houston Chronicle.
Amidst legal disputes that have embroiled Colony Ridge, accusations of targeting Latinos with misleading loans, and at times an anti-immigrant sentiment among the electorate, the district's struggle is palpable. Reported by The Houston Chronicle, past Colony Ridge controversies involve lawsuits from both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Texas Attorney General's office. These challenges stand alongside the refusal of the voters to pass more bonds for the district, with recent rejections marking the third strike in a string of the district's bond proposals.
According to a report by Houston Landing, not only are CISD classrooms filling to the brim, but the school buses are also bursting at the seams. “But our buses … oh, don’t even get me started on our buses. Every single seat — front to back — is three people to a seat,” describes Viví, a Cleveland High School student. To deal with the fiscal shortfall, the superintendent had to make cuts, slicing away at 76 positions, and saving around $4.7 million. This maneuver was to avoid a financial catastrophe after the deficit the previous year had reached $10 million.
Efforts to ameliorate the problem include unconventional hiring practices. CISD implemented a three-tier program to attract talent by hiring uncertified teachers under starting salary, as reported by The Houston Chronicle. McCanless touted the program's success, stating, “We went out on a limb, we had to try something and it could have backfired but it did not. It has been the most successful program.” In a district where emergent bilingual students make up a significant proportion, the dearth of bilingual teachers is alarming. “I have asked the developer to, ‘Please slow it down, put the brakes on it,’” McCanless said in an interview with Houston Landing. The unbridled growth continues to stretch the district thin on resources, with no clear resolution in sight.
