This story has been updated.
A group of educators, students, union members and community activists pushed back Thursday against a plan approved by San Antonio Independent School District trustees that maps out a path to close or reorganize schools by the 2024-2025 school year, which the superintendent defended.
The plan, which district officials say is prudent following decades of falling enrollment and the high cost of operating mostly empty buildings, calls for a comprehensive study and community engagement, culminating in recommendations presented to trustees at a November board meeting.
At a press conference Thursday, the groups, which are all part of the Schools Our Students Deserve Coalition, demanded that the district extend the process, ensure workers will keep their jobs and give communities the final say in whether their neighborhood school will shutter or be repurposed.
They also expressed concerns over the impact that school closures would have on communities, particularly those of color.
Gina Kramer and Lexy Garcia, members of the San Antonio chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said the district already has a precedent for a democratic process.
“Public schools belong to the people, and parents and caregivers should make the final decisions about outcomes,” Kramer said. “We know that SAISD values democratic decision-making when a majority vote of guardians is required for decisions on in-district charter partnerships. That … democratic process should be followed regarding rightsizing school closures and things of that nature.”
Superintendent Jaime Aquino met with San Antonio Alliance Members for about three hours Wednesday night to discuss the plan and gather feedback on a decision-making framework. During that meeting, he said he would not recommend parents or community members voting on school closures directly.
“We do agree that communities should have a say in the process, and we will hold multiple rounds of community engagement, to share our initial ideas and gather feedback,” he told the San Antonio Report on Thursday. “Our plans will be informed by this feedback.”
“We believe that the Board of Trustees as the democratically elected representative of the community has been empowered to make the decisions that they believe are in the best interest of the communities that they serve,” he added. “I said ‘If you’re not happy with those decisions, then when there’s an election, you exercise your right.'”
Aquino said Tuesday, and reiterated Thursday, that the November deadline was set in stone, since parents start making choices about where to send their children in December.
If a school closure sends a child to a school their parents don’t want them to attend, the early notice will allow parents the time to find another school to choose within the district.
He also said the mid-school-year deadline will give the affected schools time to celebrate their history.
“We want to honor that tradition, we want to celebrate that history, we want to involve the community,” he said. “We want to make sure that the receiving community is able to work with the closing school … so they are ready as they open.”
If the November deadline is missed, Aquino added, he would recommend not moving forward with closing schools in the next school year.
Matt Gonzales, the business manager of the Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 1095, also urged the district to rethink its process, allowing for more community input and engagement.
“This process being railroaded and pushed through forcefully leaves voices unheard, which includes parents, students and teachers, who devote their lives to educating the next generation of leaders,” he said. “The district must take a step back to reevaluate its processes to ensure that the decisions made will not leave a negative impact on the families within those communities.”
James Finley, an educator, parent and member of the Our Schools Coalition, said that the district should involve all stakeholders from the start of the process, including students, parents and workers. It’s something he said they have not done enough so far given the scope of the plan already decided by the board and administration.
The board president and superintendent both put out videos detailing the plan days before Tuesday’s board meeting where the resolution was discussed. Despite this, the vote on the resolution took place in a nearly empty boardroom, and none of the public speakers addressed the item, including Alejandra Lopez, the president of the San Antonio Alliance.
Instead, Lopez spoke in support of a policy change that reinstated a defined workday policy for SAISD teachers.
Other demands presented in a press release from the alliance include measurable commitments to improve enrollment, attendance and graduation rates and measurable commitments to increased planning and preparation time for school workers.
Aquino and Board President Christina Martinez said the coming months will include many opportunities for the community to engage in the conversation and make their voices heard, including a number of regional meetings required by the resolution to tailor a decision-making framework before the study and recommendations are presented to the board.
Aquino said that a recommendation will be made to the board in November one way or another, but added that if the community feedback is strong enough against closing schools, the board and administration would consider that when making a final decision.
Lopez answered that call Thursday.
“We have heard countless times in recent weeks by Dr. Aquino and other district officials that our school community outcry is loud enough, they will not recommend it for closure,” she said. “So let’s show them that these are our schools and we have the right to decide how they will best serve our communities. We can meet this moment together and we can create the schools our students deserve.”
