Education
BY EMILY LINCKE
Creekside Park-area families protest proposed campus
About three dozen protesters outside Tomball ISD’s administration building Nov. 13-14 voiced disapproval of a proposed intermediate school that would serve families from the Creekside Park area. The overview TISD’s $54 million Intermediate School No. 5 was originally proposed as an elementary school during the district’s 2021 bond campaign, but the project was changed to an intermediate school serving grades 5-6 in April to accommodate growth in the Creekside Park area, Community Impact reported. The school outlined in the bond campaign has been planned for the Tomball Innovation Center at FM 2920 and Hufsmith-Kohrville Road. What they’re saying On Oct. 10, district leaders presented a feasi- bility study exploring the option of building the intermediate school at Creekside Park Junior High. The study found it would not be viable. “If you don’t want to build on the junior high site, then rent property or build onto the existing schools; use portables,” said Christi Davis, a parent of three Timber Creek Elementary School children, during the public comment portion of the Nov. 14 board meeting. “I personally would support practi- cally anything that does not have a long commute for our children.” Although bus routes have yet to be created, TISD administrators said in a Nov. 9 email the one-way bus commute estimated to range from 17 minutes to 40 minutes is standard for the district. “Depending on your location within the north- east portion of TISD, the distance to the Tomball Innovation Center is between 3-8 miles, which is consistent with the distances other students and
On Nov. 14, protesters gathered outside Tomball ISD’s administration building on Cherry Street to oppose a proposed intermediate school planned for students in the Creekside Park area.
EMILY LINCKE COMMUNITY IMPACT
school year. Sorting out details TISD leaders are also in the process of evaluating attendance boundaries for all 23 campuses. “The decision to place Intermediate School No. 5 at the TIC is not the driving factor of the [district zone reset] process; our continued fast growth across the district and building new schools as part of Bond 2021 are the driving factors,” TISD leaders said in a Nov. 9 email.
families travel to their intermediate school. ... While we wish every student could walk or bike to school, it simply isn’t possible for many of our students,” TISD o cials said in the statement. At the Nov. 14 meeting, trustee Michael Pratt said he has not seen viable options for the inter- mediate school besides the TIC. Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said the administration continues to explore various options, including meeting with sta from The Woodlands Township. The school is slated to open in the 2026-27
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