Monday, February 14, 2011

LISD to once again discuss residency requirements

Can students qualify for free lunch and live in the Winfield area?
The issue of residency requirements has been talked about for years at both of Laredo's school districts. Yet, I can't recall any real actions (besides studies) that have been taken to ensure that all students attending our local schools actually belong here. The item is once again on LISD's board agenda for this coming Wednesday. I know that it was brought up last year and a study was ordered back then. It will be interesting to see if anything will be done this time around. With the budget crisis looming, I'm sure there's more Laredoans that are concerned and asking questions about this.

Just this morning, a letter to the editor of the Laredo Morning Times addressed the issue. A Laredoan by the name of David Vasquez was questioning how students who attend Colonel Santos Benavides and Malakoff schools in UISD can qualify for free/reduced lunch when those two schools are located in relatively upscale part of town. Mr. Vasquez's letter mentions Windfield estates in particular. The inference being that if these students are needy enough to qualify for the free lunch program, then they probably don't live anywhere near those areas. The next question of course would be: where do they live? I don't know if UISD has revisited this topic lately so I guess Mr. Vasquez should contact his board members and ask them to follow LISD's lead this time around.
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 14, 2011 at 9:51 PM

    I really hate the witch hunt that comes up almost yearly in ours and other border towns regarding residency requirements. Board members use it to gain political points b/c they want to distract from their inability to understand budget writing or the Texas Education Code.

    There are NUMEROUS legal ways poor kids could be living in "nice" parts of town. For starters the north side is no stranger to apartments. Some people living in those fancy houses are 3 or 4 months behind on their mortgages b/c they were injured on the job or lost their job.

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  2. MaximilianoFebruary 14, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    I did notice they have some apartments over there. Also, I know there's a lot of people behind in their mortgages so this is definitely a possibility. I don't really expect they'll do anything. I also remember Ms. Montes saying that there were some legal entanglements in this process. Plus it's a two-edge sword. The more kids they find don't belong in these schools/district, the less money from the state.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2011 at 10:29 PM

    Law says we must educate All children inour boundaries regardless of nationality. If ET landed in Winfield tomorrow hiskids would be allowed to go to school even if they were homeless

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  4. MaximilianoFebruary 16, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    Don't look now but I think I saw a banana bike silohuetted against the moon. Thanks for the info. So all that stuff about asking for a water bill doesn't hold any water? (Pun-sorry)

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