Due to population growth, many Houston parents are facing school rezoning and the challenges and disappointment that comes with it.
It’s been just over ten years since my husband and I made the brave and bold choice to uproot our lives from the Midwest (Chicago, specifically) and build a new construction home outside of Houston.
Since we moved in late 2016, the suburbs have EXPLODED— tons of new developments and neighborhoods are popping up everywhere. What used to be mostly rural and lower-populated areas has transformed into mile after mile of new homes and businesses.
Of course, my family personally accounts for some of this growth.
Even if you are a native to the Houston area, I bet you have met or made friends with other transplants, like me, over the years. We’re plentiful!
If you are a Houston transplant choosing to move to the suburbs for more space and great schools, you may be as unfamiliar as I was with the concept of school rezoning or “redistricting”.
As population grows in one area, schools become over-populated too, and school districts are forced to either house excess students in “portables” (mobile classrooms that can be placed on campus, but outside of the main building) or in many cases, choose areas or neighborhoods currently attending one school to be moved to different schools. That’s school rezoning.
I realize rezoning happens everywhere, not just in Houston. But due to population growth in this area, it’s highly probable that parents in the growing Houston suburbs will have to deal with their children being forced to move schools at some point- even if you stay in the same home or neighborhood. Here’s what I wish I knew before it happened to us:
Choose The School District, Not The School
When buying our home, and even choosing to move, looking for great schools for our growing family was at the top of our list. We felt we had hit the jackpot finding a home in our budget that met our families’ needs and was zoned to some of the top ranked schools in the district. I didn’t look much further than that- I didn’t realize that buying into a neighborhood that was still being developed meant that the schools our children would be attending might eventually change as more homes were built and school rezoning happened.
I would recommend researching the school district as a whole- are you comfortable sending your child to ANY school within that district? Especially the geographically nearest schools. If not, I would look to live in another area.
Be Flexible
Isn’t this the top parenting advice anyone needs? But honestly, I naively thought that buying the home we intended to live in for our children’s entirely schooling meant they would never have to switch schools.
I loved graduating high school with kids I had been in school with since kindergarten, and wished for the same for my children. I had reassured them over the years that we weren’t moving and they would never have to go to a different school. (Not the first time I’ve had to eat my words as a parent, FYI.)
Ultimately, I should have been paying better attention to the school board meetings, which for most school districts are available to watch from home via livestreams or later on YouTube. I would have seen that school rezoning was a distinct possibility and warmed up to the idea from the start. And that brings us to the third point, which is
Pay Attention
Yes, we’re all busy. Yes, in a perfect world school board meetings are boring and filled with stuff like proclamations and budget discussions. You think it doesn’t really matter, until it’s almost too late to get involved and make a difference. I wish I had paid attention years earlier, and I will never put my head in the sand again.
Attending or watching school board meetings and keeping up with the newsletters that school districts send out isn’t exciting but it is necessary if you want to be aware of what is going on in your child’s district. It’s great to be involved at their campus but stay aware of what is happening at a higher level. Know your rights as a parent and also our constitutional rights to free speech and community organization.
Organize and Speak Out
When school rezoning happened to us, I knew we had to act fast. We started a neighborhood Facebook group and started emailing our district Superintendent and Board of Trustees (school board members). A few wrote back, a few never did. We got media involved. We showed up at meetings, and many of us spoke.
Our goal was to make it impossible to ignore us. We wanted our children to stay at their schools. And, while we lost the rezoning battle to keep our kids at their elementary school, we managed to win the fight to keep our secondary schools. I’m so proud to have been a part of it all.
Organizing together brought my neighborhood closer in a way we hadn’t been, other than during Hurricanes or other disasters. I made lots of new friends, and learned so many life lessons during this process. Keep yourself open-minded, stay positive, and know there is safety and comfort in numbers, win or lose.
Deep Breaths; It Will All Be Okay
I know in my heart that I did everything I could to advocate for my children during the school rezoning process, and at the end of the day, I find great peace in that. I think that’s what most parents would do given they have the time and resources.
Schools are rated and ranked based on metrics that don’t truly show the qualities that matter to me, like dedicated teachers and a positive and uplifting atmosphere. It’s easy to get bogged down in those metrics, but there are opportunities to be found for your children no matter where they are- and opportunities for you, too.
As a Midwestern transplant, I really craved being part of a school community. Losing the one I had been part of for years due to rezoning was painful for me as a mom! A year later, I can confidently say I have gained more than I lost. My children are still thriving, and I think the experience of having to change schools has only added to their resiliency and adaptability.
Has your family dealt with the issue of school rezoning? What was your experience?
