A proposal to name a conference at Waltrip High School after Mayor John Whitmire sparked a debate at a recent Houston Independent School District board meeting.
The school district documents indicate the naming would not use public funds. Parents say the focus should be on more wraparound services and libraries for students.
The symbolic gesture landed during heightened scrutiny of HISD leadership decisions, especially following changes to magnet programs at 10 high schools.
The school district states that Whitmire, a former dean of the Texas Senate, is a notable alumnus of Waltrip High School. He graduated from the school in 1968 and began working for the Texas food stamp office.
Whitmire served in the Texas House of Representatives for 10 years and in the Texas Senate for 40 years.
He became the mayor of Houston in January 2024.
Those supporting the naming argue that honoring Whitmire reflects his long tenure in public service and his ties to Houston’s civic life.
Others have an opposing take.
“Why is a conference room being named after a sitting mayor?” stated the Community Voices for Public Education. “The first time this has ever happened. What do Miles and Whitmire have in common? They refuse to talk to the media and ignore public feedback.”
Waltrip parent Eduardo Brito told the board that while he personally opposed the idea, the backlash surrounding it was misplaced.
“As far as the Whitmire conference room is concerned, while I’m not a fan of it and think it’s a political ****, I will do what you never do and admit when I’m wrong,” he said. “It was done correctly and funded by the alumni and the photo circulating on social [media] where before it was covered and it’s able to come down quickly if the board votes no. The heat it’s getting isn’t fair. That’s what happens when people don’t have faith in you.”
Parents’ other concerns
Parents and community speakers repeatedly voiced frustration with what they described as poor communication and rushed decision-making around proposed magnet and CTE program changes.
A central concern was transportation. Parents questioned the logistics of busing students to and from the Barbara Jordan Career Center and the loss of classroom time on their home campuses.
Another recurring issue was access to libraries. Parents spoke on an agenda item that approves new library book orders and donations. In accordance with Texas Senate Bill 13, all new library materials-whether purchased or donated-must be publicly listed for a minimum of 30 days and formally approved by the board before being added to any campus library collection.
In this context, parent Ellen Walter called out HISD’s decision to turn libraries into team centers at New Education System (NES) schools.
“Even if schools were fully stacked, again, most of them aren’t; it means very little if there isn’t a librarian to keep track of the books, recommend new ones for young readers to try, and purchase replacements as needed,” Walter said. “Only four books out of the books being submitted to review tonight are from schools that are Title I. It doesn’t take much to notice that these schools are unable to buy new books for their libraries. Yet, schools in well-off areas are able to purchase them.”
Additional concerns included insufficient wraparound services.
