Fleming Middle School is grappling with several issues, including low enrollment and security. Principal Devin Adams says Houston ISD’s $4.4 million bond proposal funds the school’s rebuild.
Parents, teachers, and students agree that several HISD campuses need major improvements, but the underlying resentment toward its state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles, and board of managers remains, leading many to say, “No trust, no bond.”
Fleming, which is in the second year of Miles’ controversial New Education System, made a comeback according to HISD’s accountability ratings, jumping from an “F” last year to a “B” in 2024.
When HISD’s bond oversight committee toured the campus, Adams explained to members Wendell Robbins and Daria Wenas that the school needs the following upgrades:
- The need for safety and security upgrades: The school currently has 34 doors on the first floor and, hence, several entry points. The main entrance is adjacent to the school admin office, on which a sign reads, “STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OPEN THE GATE.” However, a campus security officer is present 15 minutes before and after classes
- The elevator is not big enough to fit a bed in the event of an emergency
- The stage lights in the auditorium do not work, and the stage has holes in the floor
- The air conditioning is old, and when it malfunctions, it cannot be fixed because the parts are not available
- The music room, which doubles as a yoga room, has no ventilation, and the entrance has to be propped open
- The public address (PA) system is also old and does not operate in the music room
- Some classrooms get very cold at times
- The second-floor gym shows dark patches due to water leakage
- Some water filters no longer function
- One of the classrooms’ windows is broken, and when it rains, water splashes in, flooding the floors
- The lobbies get slippery when it rains and can be a hazard for students running across as the metal fencing is not strong or high enough
Adams has continually advocated for the bond. If the bond passes, Fleming and Isaacs will remain on their original campuses until the new building is built.
“I had nothing to do with any of the estimations. I have no idea the exact cost of anything as principal, my main goal is to make sure that every student receives a quality education,” he said. If the bond passes, they [HISD] want to ensure that it minimizes the interruption for students’ instructions and for families.”
What the oversight committee members said
As part of the oversight committee, Robbins, who toured Fleming, said the cost-benefit analysis concerned him. Robbins said $50 million for renovations and modernization can put the school back on track.
“I’m having a little bit of trouble rationalizing that,” Robbins said. “We saw some issues, but none of them seemed like issues that couldn’t be addressed by a major renovation. Maybe the pot is bigger than what’s necessary in this particular instance.”
Robbins, who owns W.A. Robbins Construction Co., Inc., recommends drywall, new ceilings, and modern AC units, for which vendors are easily available in Houston.
Fleming is currently operating at a 30% capacity and aims to rebuild the campus for more than 1,100 students. HISD’s goal is to combine the two Fifth Ward campuses—Fleming MS and Isaacs Elementary—as part of Miles’ “co-location” plan to boost enrollment numbers.
However, the two schools will not be shifted into the same building. Fleming will undergo a complete rebuild, security upgrades, HVAC improvements, and lead abatement, for which HISD has allocated. Students from Isaacs Elementary will move into an adjacent building, for which HISD has allocated $2.7 million.
“If they’ve got $150 million that someone somewhere has told them they’ll be allocated as part of the bond, then they’re trying to figure out how to spend $150 million,” he said.
Wenas, a Lanier Middle School parent who works at an accounting and tax firm, agrees with Robbins. Although she agrees the school needs maintenance, Wenas is not convinced it needs to be torn down.
“Compared to other schools that I’ve seen, we can just renovate this thing for maybe half the budget,” Wenas said.
