J. Will Jones Elementary School At 1810 Stuart St.

[VicMan]

J. Will Jones Elementary School, the last zoned Houston ISD school located in Midtown, will close.

Jones will consolidate into Blackshear Elementary School in the Third Ward.

http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/...nextfmt=default

So far HISD has not drawn the new boundary maps. Where should the chunk of Midtown zoned to J. Will Jones be zoned to? (Obviously the chunk of Midtown east of U.S. 59/288 will be zoned to Blackshear) - Gregory Lincoln, Blackshear, or MacGregor?

I don't think this will affect Midtown much at all because Midtown is not a family area.

[Mr. Chenevert]

Interesting. And they just posted flyers all over the area trying to get families to take advantage of their tutoring and other after school activities.

[VicMan]

Interesting. And they just posted flyers all over the area trying to get families to take advantage of their tutoring and other after school activities.

They might move the J. Will Jones extended day program to Blackshear and/or consolidate it with a different extended day program.

[Cynthia]

http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-12-04/new...cklash-at-hisd/

There are families with children in Midtown.

[sarahiki]

http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-12-04/new...cklash-at-hisd/

There are families with children in Midtown.

I haven't read the Press article yet, but I was told that some really involved parents helped make that school very good, and the reward is that HISD is closing it and sending the kids to a school that is not any good. Another stellar decision by HISD.

[crunchtastic]

http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-12-04/new...cklash-at-hisd/

There are families with children in Midtown.

There are also a good number of homeless children who make up the rolls at Jones. A matter of relocating a just a mile or two could be a negative impact for those families. Hopefully they all make the switch to the new school without falling through the cracks.

Edited December 8, 2008 by crunchtastic

[VicMan]

I haven't read the Press article yet, but I was told that some really involved parents helped make that school very good, and the reward is that HISD is closing it and sending the kids to a school that is not any good. Another stellar decision by HISD.

What HISD ought to do is have the Jones administration *take over* the new school - that way the success at Jones continues.

Honestly I would have merged Jones with Gregory-Lincoln.

[diggity]

I used to volunteer at J. Will Jones and can tell you that it is an excellent school.

Principal Flores has done an incredible job with that place and is one of the most passionate educators I have ever met. That school should be a model to other under-performing schools. Instead, they want to board it up.

Shutting down J. Will Jones will just be another example of how incompetent HISD and it's administrators are.

[VicMan]

I used to volunteer at J. Will Jones and can tell you that it is an excellent school.

Principal Flores has done an incredible job with that place and is one of the most passionate educators I have ever met. That school should be a model to other under-performing schools. Instead, they want to board it up.

Shutting down J. Will Jones will just be another example of how incompetent HISD and it's administrators are.

Honestly, I had no idea Jones was so highly regarded in the community (the Houston Press article informed me of this). In any consolidation I would have had the Jones staff become the head administrators of whatever new school they were in or I would otherwise keep the staff together, and I would not have merged with Blackshear. I would have had Jones go with either Gregory-Lincoln or MacGregor, or maybe have MacGregor go into Jones. Either way, there would be a consolidation, but the Jones staff is together.

BTW the actual Jones building will house HCC classes.