Alcott Elementary, one of the 12 schools to be closed in the fall of 2026. The school serves 228 children pre-K through 5th grade, 99% of which are economically disadvantaged. Credits: Sophia Lannie
More than 60 community members spoke at the Houston ISD school board meeting on Feb. 26 to oppose a vote to close twelve schools.
Many say that superintendent Mike Miles was not acting in the best interest of the community, as he had been appointed by the state rather than elected.
Former state representative Jarvis Johnson was one of those.
“When you don’t have empathy and you don’t feel what the people feel, you can’t make decisions that’s in the best interest of the people,” Johnson said.
Current state representative Penny Morales Shaw said the proposal was not made while taking the peoples’ perspectives into consideration.
“Let me ask you: did you survey the parents?,” Shaw said. “Did you survey the teachers? Did you survey, did you bother to survey the administrators at these schools?
“You don’t have to answer that because they’ve already called me”
Sunnyside community organizer Travis McGee said Miles’ motivation behind the proposal may not align with what HISD constituents want.
“The takeover has always been about money and real estate,” McGee said. “We got money Mike here with charter schools.”
“That’s a huge conflict of interest.”
The board justified their proposal by citing the cost. Miles said HISD would save money by closing the schools.
“The school facilities – to repair them is so much more expensive than replacing them at the end of the day,” Miles said.
By the end of the night, the board voted unanimously to close all 12 schools.
A full list of these schools, as well as their receiving locations, can be found on the HISD NOW website.
A map depicting the locations of the 12 schools to be closed. Credits: Sophia Lannie
Houston Newsroom 