HISD's Westside PTO meeting cut short ahead of $4.4B bond
Westside High School PTO's community bond meeting was cut short after a Houston ISD official left before answering parents' questions Thursday evening.
After presenting information on HISD's proposed $4.4 billion bond, which is set to hit the polls on early voting Monday and on Election Day on Nov. 5, West Division Chief of Staff Ken Turner abruptly left the meeting before what appeared to be a planned Q&A session. Westside PTO President Megan Hokom said she was told prior to the meeting that the district would hold time for parents to ask questions after the presentation.
"On behalf of the PTO, I apologize that this is not the meeting that we thought we were going to have," Hokom said at the meeting. "If you have questions, I'm really sorry that they're not going to get answered."
Turner presented information on the proposals' three "investment buckets," community input and past and future planning process at the PTO meeting. If passed, the district plans to rebuild and renovate schools with "poor facilities and learning conditions," expand pre-K and career-and-technical education programs and make safety and security upgrades at all the district's campuses.
"The bond is going to have a very large impact for years down the road, not just for our students today, but those that are coming through the door in the next generation," Turner said.
After Turner's presentation, Askew Elementary parent Christine Hurley compared Houston ISD's bond proposal with the Texas Association of School Boards' seven recommendations to successfully pass a school bond. She said the proposal's short planning period, cuts to programs including wraparound specialists and a perceived "lack of transparency" have led her to oppose the measure.
"They say they care about Houston children, but then they don't listen to a single student, staff or community member, which is why on November 5th, I will be voting no to HISD's Propositions A and B. No trust, no bond," Hurley said.
Turner left the meeting during Hurley's presentation. Hokom said she had been working to schedule the meeting for around two weeks and that it appeared Turner was told he would be presenting at the meeting last minute.
As of 9 a.m. Friday, Hokom had not received an explanation for his sudden departure. Houston ISD was not immediately available for comment.
"I (wanted to) make sure everybody was comfortable to really facilitate a good, honest meeting because we do have...people that are for the bond and a lot of people who have questions," Hokom said. "This is just another opportunity where it made clear that HISD does not value the voices of the west side."
Parents also expressed confusion over a QR code that was offered during the presentation for parents to send in questions. Turner said the survey would help the district answer parents' more detailed questions about the bond, but parent Stephanie Brewster said the survey did not ask for any contact information.
The controversial measure has garnered support from community organizations including Good Reason Houston, Children at Risk and the Greater Houston Partnership while gaining opposition from its largest teachers' union , religious leaders and both the Harris County Democratic and Republican parties.
Outreach both for and against the bond have ramped up in the weeks before Election Day, with protests at school board meetings , dueling press conferences and Miles making appearances at community events. The district has hosted several "co-location" meetings at schools that would be affected ahead of the election.
Before leaving the meeting, Turner said community bond presentations were designed to provide information and be a beacon for community members' voices.
"We really want to know what questions you have because we want to address them properly," Turner said. "We want to make sure that you have as much information as you can so that you could feel confident that however you vote, you're doing the right thing."
