Parents, Alumni Sue HISD Over Renaming Schools Honoring Confederacy (TX)

[struggle4progress]

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2016 AT 10:02 A.M.
BY MEAGAN FLYNN

... changing the names of eight schools with Confederate namesakes didn't go as swimmingly as the board may have planned ...

A group of eight alumni, parents and community members on Thursday morning sued the district, saying its decision is financially imprudent ...

Their suit, filed in Harris County, seeks an injunction to block HISD from using public funds to rename the schools and also seeks to protect the schools as monuments, Wayne Dolcefino, the plaintiffs' spokesman, said. The suit claims HISD violated open meetings laws when deliberating and voting on the changes. Schools affected include Robert E. Lee High School (to become Margaret Long Wisdom High School), Stonewall Jackson Middle School (to become Yolanda Black Navarro Middle School of Excellence) and John H. Reagan High School (to become Heights High School), among others. Sidney Lanier Middle School wouldn't even need many changes: It would become Bob Lanier, named for the former Houston mayor ...

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/parents-alumni-sue-hisd-over-renaming-schools-honoring-confederacy-8508762

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

1. Oh, for fuck's sake

I don't even see why these people should have standing to sue! School boards have every right to name and change the name of the schools in their district! And the people doing it are elected!

[kiva]

2. Sounds easy, but look at how much it will cost:

HISD spokeswoman Lila Hollin said that the district estimates the changes will cost no more than $2 million — money that will be spent on things like new signage, band uniforms and sports jerseys.

But that's $2 million too much in the eyes of some parents whose kids will have access to fewer resources due to large budget cuts the district just approved this month. Facing a $95 million shortfall, the board decided to cut its teacher bonus program and also squash remaining portions of its longstanding tutoring program, Apollo. Overall, the district will spend $179 less per student.

Honestly, I'd also oppose spending $2m when student programs were being cut due to a lack of financing.

It's not cheap to change names - a nearby suburb wanted to have a college branch renamed after the city, and the estimated cost was $70,000; the school said fine, as long as the city pays.

[struggle4progress]

3. Their suit "also seeks to protect the schools as monuments"

so this suit isn't really about costs

HISD is a huge district with over 200K students and an annual budget around $1.8 billion. $2 million is a drop in the bucket, especially if spread over several years. Items such as uniforms and some signage require regular replacement anyway

And the budget shortfall isn't a result of board action; the Texas legislature is grabbing their money: the state of Texas has designated HISD as a property “wealthy” district, despite a student poverty rate of 76 percent. As a result, Houston schools will lose an estimated $162 million in local tax dollars to the state.

[gratuitous]

4. Of course it's not about the cost

Otherwise all the costs of renaming everything after fiscal conservative Ronald Reagan would have stopped every one of those initiatives dead in its tracks. The cost is just a handy tool to complain; the real fight, as you posted, is over whether Houston will continue to commemorate traitors and bigots.