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Plans to consolidate schools in the San Antonio Independent School District will leave 19 buildings empty, if the school board approves the plan in November.
The district is planning to find other uses for those buildings, but some trustees are concerned those plans will fall through.
During the initial consolidation recommendation presentation on Sept. 18, Deputy Superintendent Ken Thompson read a long list of uses suggested by community members during an initial round of neighborhood meetings held in August and September, including:
- affordable housing for SAISD employees
- child care centers for infants and toddlers
- senior centers
- food pantries
- after-school care
- green spaces
- community arts centers
- small business incubators
- a staff training hub
- a student art gallery
- a museum showcasing the history of the district
“Throughout the process of building these recommendations, San Antonio ISD has stood by the value that it is our duty to be good stewards of the buildings that we manage,” Thompson said. “To this end, we are committed that no building closed due to rightsizing will be abandoned.”
Trustee Alicia Sebastian’s East Side district has five schools on the closure list — more than any other neighborhood. She wanted to know when they could reassure the public by giving them specific plans for each closed school.
“I think that was probably the answer that happened when the first buildings closed, right? Like, there was some thought that something was going to be there,” Sebastian told Superintendent Jaime Aquino during the board meeting.
She added: “You weren't here. We weren't here. So, we can't speak of what happened [the last time SAISD closed schools]. But I do think that we really need to be mindful if we do make these decisions, that this is a well thought out, committed plan.”
Trustee Sarah Sorensen shared those concerns. She said her neighborhood already has two vacant SAISD buildings.
“We educate children. We don't develop housing. We don't run art centers. So, I'm a little cynical about our ability to fulfill this promise,” Sorensen added.
Aquino said the district is waiting until after trustees approve the consolidation plan to release specific ideas for each building.
“We want to respect the community,” he explained. “We have some ideas, like for example Douglass [Elementary] … whatever ends up [happening] there, we will have an area dedicated to honor the contributions of our African American community. But we will be asking for a specific recommendation from the community.”
But Aquino said the general plan is to lease the buildings to community-based organizations for a nominal fee.
“I have been approached personally since we began talking about rightsizing by many community-based organizations that would love to use our spaces,” he said. “The district will not manage them, because you're absolutely right. This is not in our wheelhouse.”
