The vote happened at a special HISD board meeting on Thursday night amid emotional community outcry.

HOUSTON — Houston Independent School District’s board of managers approved a proposal to close 12 campuses, a plan that has drawn sharp criticism from city and state leaders who say the process was rushed and the closures unfairly target Black and Brown communities.

The vote passed 9-0 Thursday night just before 8 p.m. 

The vote came after more than two hours of outcry from residents against the closures and local lawmakers asking for more time. You can watch the full board meeting in the video player below.

Superintendent Mike Miles announced the proposal just two weeks ago, citing declining enrollment and deteriorating facilities as the driving factors. The 12 campuses slated for closure or co-location include Burrus Elementary and Gulfton Middle College High, among others across the district.  

As the vote came down, boos filled the room. Board members had to call for order, one parent was escorted out by police after going over her allotted speaking time and board members briefly left the room at one point as tensions escalated.

Tashiba Dixon, a parent of three students at Port Houston Elementary, said the decision felt dehumanizing.

“They reduced our children to numbers on a spreadsheet.”

Vianey Torres, a mother at Port Houston Elementary, said the outcome felt predetermined.

“I feel like it was something they already knew was going to happen,” Torres said.

Anita Wadhwa, an HISD parent whose own school was not affected by the closures, said she showed up anyway.

“Why I show up is not because I think I have an influence over what they’re going to do, but I show up to be in solidarity with the community,” Wadhwa said.

The agenda item on Thursday’s special meeting read:

“Approval To Close Louisa May Alcott, Andrew Briscoe, James D. Burrus, Benjamin Franklin, N. Q. Henderson, Port Houston, And Betsy Ross Elementary Schools And All Programs Within Them At The End Of The 2025-2026 School Year, And Approval To Modify Attendance Boundaries For Blanche K. Bruce, Edna M. Carrillo, Matthew W. Dogan, Mario M. Gallegos, Sr., John F. Kennedy, Reagan W. Mading, Pleasantville, And Theodore Roosevelt Elementary Schools.”

State Sen. Carol Alvarado has urged the board to delay the vote, saying the timeline has not given the community adequate time to respond.

“They need to slow this thing down. Two weeks between the time it was announced,” Alvarado said.

Several state lawmakers, including Reps. Gene Wu, Christina Morales, and Armando Walle are also asking whether the district followed proper board policy and required notice procedures. They are seeking an equity impact analysis explaining how the campuses were selected.

Community advocates say the schools were not chosen at random. Ruth Kravetz of Public Voices for Public Schools pointed out that all 12 campuses sit in low-income neighborhoods.

“Every single one of the 12 schools are super under-resourced Black and brown neighborhoods. It’s almost as if Mike Miles said, ‘Where are the poorest people so I can close these schools,'” Kravetz said.

City Councilman Edward Pollard, whose district includes one of the affected schools, said elected officials have a responsibility to push back, particularly because HISD currently has no elected school board.

“We have to ensure that we have a strong public school system. There are no elected board members on the board to make decisions on behalf of residents. It is incumbent upon other local officials, such as the city council, to ask these questions and get information that we can put back in our communities,” Pollard said.

Miles has acknowledged the frustration but defended the decision, saying the closures are necessary to be fiscally responsible and put students in better learning environments. He also assured staff that any teacher set to be retained for the next school year will still have a job, regardless of whether their campus closes.

“I’m saddened by this, but at the same time, I have a responsibility to be fiscally responsible and put our kids in the best environment that they can possibly be in to learn well,” Miles said.

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