On the heels of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce endorsement, HISD scores another win with a recommendation from LULAC.
The League of United Latin American Citizens announced Saturday that it will support the Houston school district’s $805 million bond measure to build and repair schools — the second endorsement in as many days from an area Latino organization.
The board of LULAC’s District 8, which covers the Houston area, voted 8-1 with two abstentions to support the Nov. 6 bond proposal despite a laundry list of concerns that included everything from the district’s high dropout rate to the lack of bilingual administrators.
“We need to do it for the kids,” said board member Phillipa Young, a retired school administrator.
LULAC’s support comes on the heels of Friday’s endorsement from the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, giving bond supporters hope that public sentiment is making a favorable shift.
Several black leaders have criticized the plan to build 24 new schools and renovate 134 others, saying it shortchanges their communities.
The endorsement from the Hispanic groups is very important, said Rick Jaramillo, co-chairman of Parents & Teachers for Our Public Schools, a political action committee supporting the bond.
“It shows a lot of unity within a certain segment of the community, and I think this is a big step in providing unity citywide.”
I’m still not ready to say the proposal is a favorite to pass, but it’s definitely in better shape now than it was a week ago. And as I say, this ought to provide a test of the Latino political power theory. We’ll see.