Parents and communities should have a say in how and where our children are educated.

Join us in telling Lubbock Independent School District: “No More School Closures”

Sign the petition to let all LISD Board of Trustee members know: If you vote “Yes” to a school closure going forward, we will vote “No” to electing you in future election cycles beginning in May 2022.

Lubbock Independent School District (LISD) has proposed closing Dupre Elementary in the historic Heart of Lubbock neighborhood, which the community is completely opposed to.

They have not explained how the costs of leaving the school open outweigh the costs that neighborhoods suffer when one is closed. The parents, neighborhood, and community members have provided data, questions, and testimony, as well as options that can be considered, all of which have been ignored and unanswered.

LISD has closed several schools in the recent past, completely ignoring parents and other concerned citizens each time, which has had many negative effects on the communities that have lost them.

Having a neighborhood school brings many benefits to a community, and also attracts families to purchase a home near one. As a matter of fact, this is one of the first things a family looks at to choose a neighborhood.

When a neighborhood school is closed, one of the main drivers for people to stay or move there is removed, which begins to result in less revenue for the City of Lubbock because property values stagnate or decline with population decline and/or less home ownership.

This then results in many more problems which end up costing us as a city much more than the cost of leaving a school open.

This also takes a toll on the real lives of the displaced children and their parents.

This has to stop.

In a recent town hall meeting with LISD Superintendent Dr. Kathy Rollo and other School Board members, it was unfortunately clear that most of them did not come to listen to the community this time either. Instead, it appears that they came to tell the parents what was going to happen while scolding them for raising legitimate questions.

The behavior of School Board President Zach Brady was especially unprofessional and disrespectful in the early part of the meeting.

This is not how an interaction between the community and the School Board should be.

This is also being considered at a time when this school district is still officially in a declared state of disaster due to the pandemic, the worst possible time to make such a consideration.

In addition to the declared state of disaster, LISD has recently received $75 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act called Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), specifically to be used for academic supports, social-emotional supports, health/safety, and continuity of services.

According to their website, LISD “plans to use ESSER funds in categories that align with TEA's guidelines: teacher support, rigorous instructional materials, more time for learning, empowered parents, and other supports. We will also adapt our plan as we learn what is most impactful for our students and staff”.

LISD can make a choice to utilize these funds to support schools and keep them open. There is no reasonable excuse not to.

The LISD School Board still has time to reconsider this move before the next meeting on November 11th, but their attitude and defensiveness at the town hall does not provide much confidence in the community that that will happen.

This being the case, our only recourse to put an end to this destructive trend in LISD is to vote in new School Board members who will be willing to work with the community and commit to a policy of no more school closures.

Parents matter! Communities matter! And our children matter!

Join us in telling Lubbock Independent School District: “No More School Closures”

Sign the petition to let all LISD Board of Trustee members know: If you vote “Yes” to a school closure going forward, we will vote “No” to electing you in future election cycles beginning in May 2022.