HISD gets some public feedback

Needed more opportunities for this from the beginning.

Emotions continued to run high Thursday as residents offered both condemnation and support of Houston ISD Board of Trustees President Rhonda Skillern-Jones, whose leadership has been questioned following a raucous board meeting last month that ended with two arrests.

With about 300 people in attendance, dozens of residents demanded trustees take steps to restore trust with the community – with many calling for the removal of Skillern-Jones from her presidency – while a smaller contingent rose to back Skillern-Jones’ leadership. Unlike the board’s meeting on April 24, there was no skirmish between members of the public and HISD police during Thursday’s six-hour meeting.

HISD’s meeting in April drew national attention after police made the arrests and temporarily removed all members of the public, with some resisting officers. The scuffle came after Skillern-Jones ordered the room cleared when attendees continued to make noise during public comment after she warned them to remain quiet. The two arrested were released the next day and not charged.

Community members were given more latitude Thursday to respond as about 100 speakers began addressing trustees, with Skillern-Jones issuing no warnings about noise. One speaker pointed at trustees, calling each a “coward.” Another wore a shirt declaring “Not Afraid of Rhonda.” Several speakers told trustees that members of the public have been unfairly targeted for their activism, demanding better treatment from the board and police.

“I’m not dangerous. I’m not the enemy,” said speaker Karina Quesada-León, whom Skillern-Jones ordered to leave the podium at last month’s meeting. “I show up because I want a well-rounded education for every child in HISD.”

At the risk of setting the bar low, no skirmishes seems like a good place to start. Whether this will cause more trustees to get on the “the board needs a new President” train remains to be seen. It may be that if HISD does get an accountability waiver from the TEA that the pressure is reduced, but if that’s the case then surely there will be no way to avoid a shakeup if there is no waiver. In the meantime, I’d suggest the Board have more meetings where the people who attend can feel like they’ve been listened to. The Press has more.

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