Under a DISD proposal to close 11 schools, James B. Bonham Elementary School’s 225 students would move to Robert E. Lee and Ben Milam elementary schools.
Bonham serves students in kindergarten through third grade, while Lee and Milam serve K-5. Bonham and Lee are rated exemplary by the Texas Education Agency, while Milam is rated recognized.
DISD can close or consolidate schools for several nonacademic reasons: If the school in question or a school nearby has low enrollment, if the building is in poor condition, if the district wants to use the building for some other educational purpose, if the district wants to convert it to a charter school, or if demographic studies show there is no longer a demand for the school.
Bonham, Lee and Milam are operating below their student capacity. Bonham serves 225 students and has a capacity for 310. Lee serves 277 students and has capacity for 471. Milam also serves 277 and has capacity for 351.
Bonham has the lowest number of students among elementary schools in our neighborhood, but it operates at 73 percent of capacity.
Here are enrollment numbers for other elementary schools in the neighborhood:
Lakewood: 727
Robert E. Lee: 279
Stonewall Jackson: 577
Eduardo Mata: 299
O.M. Roberts: 400
James W. Fannin: 253
Roberts and Fannin also are on the chopping block.
Students from Roberts would be transferred to Mata and Mount Auburn, and the numbers there don’t add up. Roberts serves 400 students, and the DISD proposal doesn’t state its capacity. Mata has 300 students and is about 48 percent full, with a capacity of 618. Mount Auburn is overcapacity with 671 students and a capacity of 626. That totals to 1,371 students and a capacity of 1,244, if Roberts closes.
Students at Fannin would move to John F. Kennedy Learning Center, César Chávez Learning Center and J.W. Ray Learning Center, the latter of which is rated academically unacceptable. All of those schools operate well below their capacities.
DISD’s full school consolidation proposal is available online.
