Even before the administration under Brownsville Independent School District interim Superintendent Sylvia Hatton finalizes the plans to consolidate several campuses to address decreasing enrollments and rising costs, some district staff members are alarmed at what they perceive as a potentially dangerous development.
Hatton’s administration outlined plans - and the board approved - the closing of Resaca Elementary, Longoria Elementary and Victoria Heights Elementary, demolish Garza and construct a new campus, and replace old classrooms with new wings at Cromack, Vermillion, Martin and Egly elementary schools.
The board approved the administration's proposal 6-1 at a recent meeting. They cited the age of the facilities, and decreasing enrollment due to lower birth rates as a justification for their closings.
The administration has received approval to do away with the wings with outdoor classroom-to-classroom access at Garden Park Elementary and replace them with a new parking lot and improved student pick-up lanes. The old part of Canales Elementary would be torn down, Stell Middle School would get a new gym and front office area, while Faulk Middle School would get a new band hall.
But it's the plans at consolidation of several campuses and of the the Brownsville Learning Academy and CTE at old Cummings Middle School campus that has some staffers concerned.
They say privately that mixing older students - some of them with violent histories and discipline problems and gang affiliations ranging in age from 18-26 years of age - with teenage boys and girls is asking for trouble. Students sent to the BAC for any number of discipline and aggressive behavior including assaults on other students and on support and teaching personnel, gang affiliations, truancy, or drug use.
"How would you like to have your teenage daughter on the same campus with adults who may have been in trouble with the law?," asked a district instructor. "It's not hard to imagine something bad happening if they are placed in the same campus."
According to the BLA profile, the student population at the Brownsville Learning Academy is at any given time around 250 to 300 students and serves students in grades 9 through 12. Approximately 99 percent are Hispanic and 00 percent are identified as Economically Disadvantaged and At-Risk.
The College Career and Technology Connections program at BLA HS is for drop-out recovery of students from 18-26 years of age.
Trustees have not received the final plans, but are adamant that they will require that the administration provide adequate protection for vulnerable students that will keep them apart from BLA problem students.
"They will not be mixed," said trustee Dr. Sylvia Atkinson. "We haven't seen the administration's final plans and the board has not approved any of the proposals. The Cummings campus is divided into three separate sections and they are not mixed."
Trustee Erasmo Castro said he has also herd some of the same concerns and said he is meeting with Hatton this week to learn more about the proposals for the board's consideration.I
"I've also heard of some of those concerns," Castro said, "We are going to make sure that the savety9 of all of our students is guaranteed before we approve any proposal.
The BISD Board of Trustees must approve all plans. They are being drafted as formal proposals and will be submitted to the board for formal approval, Jimmie Haynes, assistant superintendent for operations told the local daily. The work would be accomplished over two to three years, he said
“Every five years we are losing the equivalent of a small district, one the size of a Roma or Valley View,” Hatton said. “We have to have a five-year facilities reduction plan. … Consolidating schools, closing schools is as difficult a decision as any public entity can make. It tears at your heartstrings.”
According to the BLA improvement plan, "every effort is made to ensure a safe and orderly environment that is conducive to student learning...The Parental Involvement program participation needs to be increased by providing multiple opportunities to parents to attend meetings that will cover a multitude of topics: graduation requirements, PRS, state assessment requirements, college and career opportunities, gang and gang violence, etc.
A Texas Observer article detailed the type of instruction given at the
"Boot Camp" on Morrison Rd. https://www.texasobserver.org/boot-straps/
One of the Needs of that involvement plan asks parents of at-risk students there that they need to hold "meetings to encompass a variety of topics: Title I services, parental guidelines and regulations, gang and gang violence, dropout prevention and graduation requirements and opportunities for students to obtain post-high school education."
27 comments:
What an alarming first sentence! LOL
What is a 26 year old still doing in school? Why are the taxpayers still paying for his education? Armed forces will discipline these trouble makers. 20 something year olds still in the district.... unbelievable! Do something board members!
Now I'm alarmed.
Ring he alarm! Ha ha ha
Regardless of what the BISD administration tries to do, there are always those who find fault. Solution: close down the public schools and send them all to the charter schools. I bet many of the present problems would be solved if someone actually did something at the state level to help out the public school. Eddie Lucio Jr and III should be on the ball about this, but it seems it does not fall within the realm of concern for our legislatures.
Parents, staff, and stakeholders should work with BISD instead of complaining about every little thing that does not smell like roses.
It is the new way of raising kids: let the state take care of them.
Kids take away your time, your energy, your money.....there are more exciting things to do: chat, blogs, gossip, boyfriends, girlfriends
Parents: how to control a toddler, a teenager, a tween ? Too much work.
If you are a strong parent: you have to constantly check on your kids, who is with them at all times, entertain them, teach them chores, discipline with tough love.....tell them you love them, that you want them to be good, take them to church.....TOO MUCH WORK !!!
BISD will put them all together...it is not their kids,
Parents that are working hard: be aware that your child is going to be hurt by the misfits. How can you protect your good kids? Nobody is going to help you when your kid is in trouble !!!
You all voted for this board and that’s what you’re going to get...basura!!!
BISD Board Members only cae about themselves. They could care less about what the parents want. Look at their decisions! It is never about the students, it is only about what the board members want. They vote to do what they think is best for themselves and not what is actually best for the students. Sad that we helped vote them into office. Live and learn!
"Decrease enrollment due to lack of sexual activity"!!! NOW that I can't believe.
Que pasa erasmo question everthing and don't believe NOTHING setup a commission to study actions recommended DO NOT BELIEVE THEM bola de mentirosos covering their behiney
The BISD Board and the BISD Administration think that parking lots, Scoreboards and new buildings are the problems with the district and why students are leaving.
Look in the mirror "Board" and "Administration", it's you and your in-ability to put together a successful plan to address students needs, is why students are leaving the district in droves.
Charter Schools will also not address "ALL" students needs; they will tell you that they do not, but they pick and choose who they allow to stay in their schools.
Every year during the Spring Semester even into the last 6-weeks of school the students that can't cut at the charter schools end up back at Hanna or one of the other schools and the District welcomes the deadbeats back with open arms because they have to.
With all the dysfunction at BISD I'm surprised you are barely covering this story which by the way, it stinks.
This article is totally confused. Whoever sent in this information needs to do better research. There is a high school BLA ( at the CTE campus) and there is a middle school BLA at the old buildings on Morrison . There is also The Brownsville Academic Center, BAC, that is.on Robindale. The two schools that are recommended to be joined are the middle school BROWNSVILLE LEarning Academy, BLA and the high school Brownsville Learning Academy BLA. You have the wrong picture on this post. the high school BLA probably has less than 100 kids and the middle school has another 90 or so. The high school has an excess of teachers just hanging around. BAC has never been talked about, and BAC does not have violent students or 26 year olds. BAC has a great staff and since it is a disciplinary school cannot be joined with another. Get the story straight.
Wow... we better start looking for jobs quick. BISD is sinking like the Titanic. They do it to themselves, too. They do the opposite of what makes sense.
Highly educated just like the cob engineer no wonder...
Maybe dominguez can do something about the lack of sexual activity in the BISD district. Pass a bill requiring uh more activity during certain hours of the uh night. Maybe bisd can apply for more state and fed funding, to built a bigger uh stadium.
Where is the guy that always bitches about teachers not working 12 months? This is just the article he would interject his opinion about teachers having summers off. Which by the way starts in a few days! Maybe, just maybe, I doubt it, but he finally learned how stupid his idea was!!
He got a job as a teaher that's what I heard
It was a lady doing the bitching pendejo
What they want 3 more months off with pay as it is they don't do anything not even well you know what, that's why they're student count is down. They'll be asking for compensation soon bola de huevones 3 months off with pay and no students.
WELCOME BACK WE MISSED YOU AT 9:15...
Instead of tearing down building lay off half of the teachers student count is down bisd needs to start cutting down on employees (teachers). NOT TEAR DOWN BUILDINGS. Dale gas castro no te piquen los ojos bola de mentirosos.
Is this person a teacher and posting during workig hours (May 22, 2019 at 9:22 AM) That's yesterday Wednesday 9:22am. Where's the supervisor pricipal or whoever is in charge, or is it on the contract!!!! THREE MONTS OFF plus time to post on blogs what else can these huevones do or are allowed to do Oh its in the contract.
Check it out erasmo slacking off on the job no wonder parents are taking their children to Idea schools (private)
Serious Erasmo do it. Teachers in texas are 95% republicans and the majority did not vote for you. Protect the children and the parents and citizens. Stop the waste...
Three months off with pay THAT'S RIDI"CULO"S. Get rid of some of the teahcers lay them OFF lossing students perfect time
Do charter schools have boot camps or disciplinary schools, or do they just pressure the kids to go back to BISD schools?
Who cars they're better than BISD hands-down @1:56am.
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