BRENHAM ISD MAY HAVE TO EDUCATE BLUEBONNET HAVEN STUDENTS
The Brenham Independent School District may be put in the position of having to provide instruction for students at the soon to be open Bluebonnet Haven Youth Treatment Facility.
Although the Texas Education Agency approved the application of Trinity Charter School in April to operate a charter school at Bluebonnet Haven, the facility has yet to open.
Dr. Walter Jackson, Superintendent of Brenham I.S.D., says he has heard that Trinity Charter is no longer in partnership with the Youth Treatment Facility just south of Brenham on State Highway 36.
Jackson says Bluebonnet Haven had no students on the last Friday of October, when the TEA takes a “snap shot” of a school district’s enrollment to determine state funding for the next year. Because of that, Jackson has heard that Trinity Charter no longer has a recognized school district here, and has backed out of educating the residents of Bluebonnet Haven.
While he hasn’t received any official letter or word from the TEA, Jackson says he is expecting to be notified that Brenham ISD will be responsible for educating those students.
The Brenham School Board has gone on record with a resolution opposing the opening of Bluebonnet Haven because of the negative economic impact it could have on the school district. The Youth Treatment Facility will substantially increase the student special education population and services required for students in that program. Both the Brenham City Council and the Washington County Commissioners Court have also passed resolutions in opposition to Bluebonnet Haven.
KWHI News has attempted to contact both Randall Bryant, the operator of Bluebonnet Haven, and administrators for Trinity Charter Schools, to confirm this information. So far, there has been no response from either party.
Washington County Judge John Brieden has scheduled a town hall meeting about Bluebonnet Haven next Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Washington County Fairgrounds Events Center.
This is a dollar situation. What is the cost per year to educate a child in Washington County? How many students at new facility ?
There is your answer.
Me thinks the persons who cry out about of a lack of compassion are far removed from any of the negatives in this issue. Removed from the effects by geography and bountiful resources. If they had walked in the ordinary citizens shoes for a decade or two, they would definitely feel differently. We have compassion, but after lifetimes of being doormats and at the bottom of the woodpile, our compassion wears thin.
Right on Marty! I love what you said about compassion. Nobody expects to face a situation like these children and their families face! The naysayers here need to remember that it could very well happen to their own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or even kids of their friends. The old saying “it takes a village” comes to mind when I’m thinking about these kids. They are being given the leftovers because society has labeled them as outcasts, non-conformists if you will. So what!?? What has happened to the basic human instinct to care for our fellow man and in this case, kids?
As for anyone worried that the school kids of BISD will be “disrupted” in the classroom….don’t worry yourself with that. My limited understanding of these type of facilities is that the district sends a teacher to the facility and schools the kids at that location. Also, the school district is compensated for costs that exceed the normal expenses of educating a traditional student.
I am shocked and honestly ashamed that so many people, some of them in leadership within our community are coming out against this place! These kids deserve a fighting chance and a place that can provide this for them and if it happens to be in Brenham, Burton, or even in my back pasture out here in Chappell Hill-so be it!
Compassion. Love. Understanding. I think we all (myself included) have room in our heart for much more of these three basic human traits.
I agree with Chappell Hill resident. What would Jesus do?
“the school district is compensated for costs that exceed the normal expenses of educating a traditional student”
And where exactly does everyone seem to think that money comes from, a gold pot at the end of the rainbow. Even if the state helps to fund this, these are still our tax dollars being spent. Do we even know if these children will be from Texas? It also seems like that many have forgotten that this is a “for profit” business being brought into our community and asking us to spend our tax dollars so they can make a profit. If they choose to make a profit in this way, let them pay for the education of the children they bring into our area. I pay to many taxes already!
Just to clarify, the district will not be compensated above a normal student enough to deal with all of the additional staffing, equipment, and paperwork issues. School districts are nonprofit and do not make money. This is a lie being told throughout the community. I would rather that we continue to support the facilities already in our city and county rather than adding another issue. What about the added costs on the police and sheriffs department. These individuals can walk away at any time and then the police are required to respond. What about the fact that the state school already has issuing being fully staffed? What about our minimal amount of community services available to these people. Our community is already stretched thin and now we are adding another facility?! This facility should have been built in a larger community with more resources instead of our small one.
This is why people are frustrated. Not because our community doesn’t care, but because we are already stretched so thin. The owners and leaders of this facility are not telling the whole truth and preying on the heart strings of people in an effort to gather their support.
Mark my words: this community will regret the day this facility ever was built. Welcome to the future Hempstead.
So, as a taxpayer, I am now forced to support yet another entity that will raise my property taxes and take the resources I work hard for away from my child. All these people posting about caring for the children and all the rights they have are great, but tell that to the hard working families whose taxes are going up yet again.
Most local citizens may not have noticed the root problem of this issue. The ordinary taxpaying communities of Texas and the US are not receiving proper representation. Our water supply safety is threatened, our disaster damages are not reimbursed, and the peace and safety of citizens is threatened by poorlly regulated for profit juvenile institutions. The regulations that liscense these for profit facilities were written loosely to say the least. Why? Because the state did not want the expense of dealing with these juvenile issues. Because they don’t want to raise your sales taxes, or inact a state income tax as the majority of the country has to pay for proper institutions. But we pay anyway, thru the continual increase of local property taxes. Our representatives are hoping you won’t notice. More and more citizens are unable to meet the rising property taxes and are forced to give up their homes and rent. And the rent makes the rich richer, as well as our representatives.
By law the state of Texas has to provide education for ALL students and the district will have to figure out how. These kids need psychiatric help otherwise they wouldn’t be there. If your child had cancer and couldn’t receive their education while receiving treatment would you deny them the right to continue their education? Stop treating people with emotional or mental illness differently. Treat the WHOLE child.
It has nothing to do with the school not wanting to help and everything to do with limited resources in our town and providing the appropriate care for them. Do you really think a school district would push out children when their role is to educate ALL? No one goes into education for the money. It is done for the kids, and I don’t see anything wrong with someone saying that they don’t have the resources to do it well. The children moving into this facility would require the support of a psychiatrist/counselors. We already have limited amounts of people in these roles to help the children in our school district with mental illness. Brenham is not Houston or any other larger city with unlimited resources for these children. You point out that children with cancer need an education too which is correct, but every child I know that has cancer travels down 290 to Houston for treatment because they have excellent resources there and not here. Brenham is a great community, but we cannot carry the weight of every treatment facility wanting to open its door. It would be like adding more people from a sinking ship to a life raft that is already full of people. It will sink too. The resource is there, but it isn’t enough.
Apples & Oranges – Cancer Patients DON’T POSE A THREAT to others.
Review the class action suit “Gregs Vs. Bynam” (Probably wrong spelling sometime in the 80’s or 90’s) related to the education of the then called, “mentally retarded” people at Brenham State School. (Brenham Supported Living Center). The local school district is required to provide the education of such folks including those in the above article. The local school district is reimbursed above the cost of “regular” students based on a formula bringing more money to the district.
Compassion. Your son, daughter or friend may face this situation.
Former Human Rights Officer, Brenham State School
Can we all say OMG! it just got worse. Now it will effect our children learning, more disruptive children in the class. Great.