HOUSTON – Some local parents are up in arms after learning about what they say was a drastic decision made by Houston ISD in just 48 hours. It could prevent their children from going to schools that used to be zoned for their neighborhoods.
The changes affect two A-rated schools, Wharton Dual Language Academy and James F. Helms Elementary. They are now classified as “separate and unique” schools which means new students will have to apply to go there.
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Some of the parents we spoke to say they specifically moved to the affected neighborhoods to send their kids to those schools. Now, in addition to worrying about where their kids may end up if they aren’t accepted, they’re also concerned about how the changes could affect property values.
“It’s the culture, it’s the language,” said Jessica Soeder, who tells KPRC 2 she moved to The Heights so that her kids could go the English/Spanish dual language, and top-rated James F. Helms Elementary School. Now, she’s worried that that dream may not be realized for her soon to be kindergartner, because of an item put on HISD’s agenda Tuesday and passed Thursday. Helms is now what’s called a Separate and Unique school.
“The first concern is that they, they didn’t give us that yearlong planning period. They waived their own policy which is concerning on many levels,” she said.
Because she says parents weren’t given proper notice that new students will have to apply to go to separate and unique schools, she didn’t know to apply for the HISD phase one lottery, nor did she apply to private schools.
“Those deadlines have come and passed because we were planning on coming here, now we’re very much in limbo and up in the air. They kind of pulled the rug out from underneath us,” she said.
Soeder says she’s confused about how the new classification will be beneficial because Helms is already one of 44 magnet programs and the majority of students there are already magnet.
“Where you actually have to apply and magnet in, you are not a zoned child. The zoned children is a very small population,” she said.
The likely effect on property values that homeowners may not yet know about raises another concern.
“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 added.
Soeder also mentioned that HISD Superintendent, Mike Miles had stated he wasn’t going to interfere with top rated schools. We reached out to HISD for an interview with Miles but were told he wasn’t available.
Similar sentiments were raised at Midtown Bar and Grill where a group of parents hoping to send their kids to Wharton Dual Language Academy in Montrose, now also a Separate and Unique school, met with HISD board member, Adam Rivon.
“The HISD board approved change without any details and our neighborhood has essentially been abandoned by the HISD board,” said parent, Colin McCulley.
As far as what separate and unique entails, Rivon had this to say.
“So there’s some nuance to Separate and Unique schools that I won’t get into…”
HISD said in a memo that it will be working over the next 60 days to create a plan for the long-term future of each campus.