Community frustrated over Tomball ISD's proposed intermediate school in Creekside area
TOMBALL, Texas - A planned $54 million intermediate school in the Creekside area of Tomball Independent School District has sparked frustration among parents, prompting scheduled protests and attendance strikes.
Parents tell FOX 26 Intermediate School No. 5, initially proposed as an elementary school under the district's 2021 bond, was later changed to an intermediate school in April to address the rapid growth in the Creekside community.
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"In April, they decided not to build that elementary school that we all voted for, and build an intermediate school," TISD Parent Julie Peschang said. "They want to take all our kids out of Creekside and put them on a bus for 45 minutes, probably closer to an hour, to get there. It's not what's best for our community."
The recommended site for the school is the Tomball Innovation Center, situated at FM 2920 and Hufsmith-Kohrville Road. Concerned parents from the Creekside area kept their children home from school on Nov. 13 and 14, coupled with protests outside the TISD administration building.
Creekside parents and students protest the district's decisions made over Intermediate School No. 5. The protest took place before the planned Nov. 14 board meeting outside of the Tomball ISD building.
Tomball ISD responded to FOX 26 about the concern, citing the district's fast growth as the reason behind the change. "To provide needed enrollment relief, Bond 2021 was proposed and passed to build new schools to accommodate current and future growth. New schools are the impetus for boundary rezoning," stated Communications Director Allison Suarez.
"Creekside park has been a masterplan community in the Woodlands Township since it's founding," parent David Swiderski said. "That growth has been planned for years, if not decades. So it shouldn't be a surprise. I do not think there's anything illegal that they're doing. But I think they're crossing a lot of ethical concerns. What they said they were going to do is not what they're going to do."
The district pointed out that the Tomball Innovation Center, where the intermediate school will be located, is between three to eight miles from Creekside schools, consistent with distances other students in the district travel. The new campus is intended to align grade configurations across the district and provide relief to all three Creekside elementary schools and Creekside Park Junior High.
As of November 10, over 400 parents have endorsed a petition supporting the attendance strike. The Stand 4 Creekside website has become a focal point for information related to the issue.