HISD leaders advocate for bond proposal

Education non-profit organization Houstonians for Great Public Schools (Houston GPS) has brought attention to statements from several Houston Independent School District (HISD) leaders supporting the district's Propositions A & B.

According to a Houston GPS press release dated October 10, remarks were featured from trustees Placido Gomez, Bridget Wade, and Dani Hernandez, as well as HISD Bond Community Advisory Committee Co-Chairs Garnet Coleman, Judith Cruz, and Scott McLelland.

Coleman, a former state lawmaker, said that he witnessed firsthand the deteriorating conditions of schools within HISD, Texas’s largest public school system. He mentioned that some classrooms lack functioning air-conditioning and heating systems and that the water contains lead. Gomez noted that Propositions A and B, which comprise the district’s $4.4 billion school bond proposal, prioritize students and address these issues. Cruz described the bond as long overdue while McLelland emphasized that HISD’s more than 170,000 students are relying on leaders to deliver the bond in November.

Wade and Hernandez reiterated the primary focus on serving students. In late September, Houston GPS expressed disappointment over resolutions passed by both the Harris County Democratic and Republican parties opposing the bond package. Veronica Garcia, executive director of Houston GPS, pointed out that it has been over a decade since HISD last approved a bond.