Families file lawsuit against CISD
With the help of a local civil rights group, two El Paso families are taking the Clint Independent School District to court. They are accusing the district of directing more funds to certain schools.
“They have clean uniforms, everything nice. And when I see my kid, he’s frustrated. It’s ripping here, it’s not good here,” said Montana Vista resident Claudia Garcia.
Garcia is one of the two families who have joined forces with Paseo Del Norte Civil Rights Project to take the Clint Independent School District to court.
“They have a lot of money! We give them money!” Garcia said.
For years parents like Claudia have accused the school of spending more on Clint-area students giving them newer materials, smaller class sizes and more opportunities.
PCRP found funding during 2009-2010 per student was $9,983 at Clint High, $8,492 at Montana Vista, and $6,471 Horizon City High.
“What I’ve heard is that kids in Montana Vista and Horizon city feel inferior,” said Paseo Del Norte Attorney Jed Untereker
Untereker says this inferiority translates to lower test scores.
Clint ISD disagrees with Del Norte’s numbers and says there are many factors determining how campuses are funded.
“We will put forth facts so that the public knows and the court process knows what we do here at Clint ISD is equitable funding and it’s legally based as well,” said Juan Cruz, general council for Clint ISD.
To resolve the issue over the long-term, the families that filed a lawsuit say they need to be represented on the school board. To do this, they want single member voting districts, which means each area can elect its member to the board directly.
“Eight-four percent of the student population is now in Horizon City and Montana Vista, but only one out of seven board members is from outside of Clint,” said Rev. Ed Roden-Lucero.
Paso del Norte and the petitioning families attended a Clint ISD board meeting to request that single member districts replace the at-large voting system. The board has asked for demographic reports of the districts dating back 10 years be completed first. Petitioners says this is just another delay tactic.
