By Wendy Gragg

Tribune-Herald staff writer

The day after the decision to close G.L. Wiley Middle School, plans were already under way to welcome Wiley students into new schools, mend fences in East Waco and somehow keep the beloved middle school open.

“It’s by far not over,” said East Waco community leader Carol Dugat, declining to elaborate on what plans might be brewing to fight for Wiley’s future as a middle school. “We’re going to do everything we can to keep Wiley open.”

Dugat was one of more than 20 Wiley supporters who addressed the Waco Independent School District board of trustees Thursday night, arguing that the 70-year-old campus should remain open. After four hours of public comment and intense discussion by the board, a 4-3 vote was taken to close the school.

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Reaction

» Blog: East Waco blogger Carol Dugat responds to the news on "What do you Want?"

» Editorial: Rush job on G.L. Wiley (8/7/08)

By the numbers

» Growth chart: G.L. Wiley TAKS scores, 2003-08

» Waco ISD: Middle school TAKS passing rates

At the heart of the controversy: the school’s fifth “unacceptable” rating from the state, despite making significant gains in test scores the last few years — a fact repeated by East Waco students, parents and neighborhood leaders.

Also at the crux of the matter: the school’s dwindling enrollment — a little more than 200 students by administration figures — and what some argue are the school’s increasingly limited opportunities for youths there.

East Waco leaders who led the charge to save the school, including McLennan County Commissioner Lester Gibson, Justice of the Peace Jean Laster and Laveda Brown, executive director of the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce, did not return phone calls Friday. Wiley principal Kermit Ward also couldn’t be reached.

Jimmy Hunter, pastor of Toliver Chapel Baptist Church, said he thought one good thing to come from Thursday night’s board meeting, which drew a crowd of about 200, was the rallying of the East Waco community.

“I was pleased with the outpouring of community support and spirit of hopefulness,” he told the Tribune-Herald.

Dugat, in her East Waco blog at wacotrib.com, expressed admiration for the spirited community effort to save G.L. Wiley, even as she acknowledged frustration.

“I must admit I was so proud of the way the kids, community leaders and concerned citizens came together tonight,” she wrote after Thursday’s board meeting. “I have not seen that in a very long time. I hope we keep it up. Just because the board gave up on Wiley does not mean we have to.”

She added: “Dear God, show us where we go from here.”

Waco ISD staff were at work Friday, answering the questions they expect to come from anxious Wiley parents when they learn the school is being closed two weeks before the start of classes, Aug. 25.

“The most important thing is making the transition as smooth as possible,” Superintendent Roland Hernandez said of transitioning Wiley students to their new schools, Brazos and Cesar Chavez middle schools and G.W. Carver Academy.

Cesar Chavez principal Alfredo Loredo said he has been planning for the transition since closure of Wiley was introduced as a possibility. As soon as he gets the names of students, his staff will send letters and make phone calls to parents. Loredo said he wants Wiley students to feel welcome.

“For social and academic reasons, we want to make sure we do support them, do make them feel at home,” he said. “Once they are rolled over onto our system, they are Cesar Chavez Middle School students.”

As for Wiley students, they may be coming from a school with an official state rating of “unacceptable,” Loredo said, but he doesn’t consider them low-performing students. Loredo said he sees the Wiley students as being a perfect fit for his school.

“They had a problem with science (test scores), we had a problem with science,” he said. “We’re going to work on that science problem together.”

One difference between G.L. Wiley, whose enrollment was 75 percent black, and Cesar Chavez involves demographics. Cesar Chavez is 87 percent Hispanic and 8 percent black. Loredo doesn’t see it as a challenge or problem, though. He says he’s looking forward to the richness it will create within the student body.

“I’ve always wanted to have a good mix of all different backgrounds,” he said. “That’s a secret goal of mine.”

Trustee Pat Atkins, who voted for the option to close Wiley, said Friday he still believes it was the best decision for Wiley students and will put them in the best position to succeed at campuses with larger enrollments, more academic offerings and a wider range of extra-curricular options.

But he also believes the Wiley campus could be used in some way to contribute to the revitalization of East Waco, a chief concern of some neighborhood leaders speaking for the school Thursday night.

“The folks speaking about the impact on East Waco were absolutely right, and as we move forward that’s something the district needs to be sensitive to,” he said.

School board president David Schleicher said he also was dealing with post-closure vote aftermath Friday. He fielded questions and comments from the public and reflected on the emotionally wrought events of the night before.

“I don’t see how (the decision) can be undone for the upcoming year,” he said.

But he said he wouldn’t be surprised if a lawsuit was filed about the decision.

Schleicher voted down the first motion made Thursday night, one to keep Wiley open. But he also voted down the second and final motion to adopt an option closing the school.

“I had hoped to find some ground that would get more of a consensus from the board,” he said. “My greatest concern is that there are people who believe it was a setup, that the outcome was known before we started.”

wgragg@wacotrib.com

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