City council, BISD discuss campus violence, construction

In a joint meeting between Beaumont city councilors and Beaumont ISD trustees Nov. 7, representatives discussed a bevy of topics ranging from violence afflicting local schools to a potential bond that would afford the construction of a new middle and high school.

During the more than two-and-a-half-hour evening meeting, city councilors and trustees allowed citizens to comment on agenda items for three minutes before any official discussion began. The majority of comments addressed Beaumont violence, both in and outside of school. West Brook High School students Saifan Panjwani and Sam Marchand, who both previously spoke to The Examiner about these issues, were the first two citizens to speak.

“It does not have to be said that BISD is at its lowest point in its history,” Panjwani, a senior, told the confluence of elected officials. “With the recent increase in crime within our schools, our community has been left fractured. These violent issues have begun to permeate into our day-to-day school experiences.

“The purpose for my coming here today is to bring about more awareness regarding these issues. I believe that having transparency when it comes to our school district is a must.

“Does it not scare you that our schools are plagued with violence and crime?”

If no measures are taken in the foreseeable future to change students’ academic performance, BISD will be undoubtedly defined by the inability to cultivate and maintain intellect, Panjwani wagered.

Marchand echoed his classmate’s assessment of West Brook’s bleak outlook, explaining, “It is no secret that the city and the youth who will one day lead it are in dire straits. The TEA’s recent ratings released in October show pitifully low test scores, with 14 BISD campuses scoring so terribly they were not even rated. There have been hundreds of reported incidents of campus violence, so much that we attracted national attention.

“The community faces daunting challenges to its future growth and prosperity, and the integrity of the city’s youth is crucial to safeguard its future. At present, its future isn’t looking up, and it’s the responsibility of the city council and school board to act. I think I speak for the majority of young people in Beaumont in saying this is not a place we’d like to remain at present status. There is no evident opportunity for us here with the crime and woefully under-performing schools.

“It is your responsibility as our leaders … to protect our city from the truly existential problems it faces. Rampant crime (and) nationally famous campus violence threaten to drive away the youth of our city.”

Panjwani and Marchand’s comments were met with silence from the assemblage of more than 50 meeting attendees. However, several points raised by city council members and BISD trustees received applause and even the occasional cheer from the crowd of mostly city and district employees. City Manager Kenneth Williams asked employees at one point to rise and be recognized – more than half of the crowd stood at his behest.

Before the groups dove into their discussion items, “governance expert” Mike Conduff led them in team-building exercises, asking city councilors and trustees to high-five one another multiple times for “keeping democracy strong.” Trustees spent more than an hour listening to Conduff’s lecture and following along with brainstorming sessions aimed at advancing the city.

In an effort to quell citizens’ and students’ concerns over campus violence, City Councilor Mike Getz suggested installing cameras in every classroom on BISD’s campuses. While noting how expensive the prospect would be, BISD trustees referenced the district’s presently progressing plans to implement noise and smoke monitors in its high school bathrooms. BISD Superintendent Shannon Allen further explained that the majority of campus violence propagates in more communal locations, such as bathrooms, hallways and lunchrooms.

While they took no action on any items, the governing bodies agreed to meeting at least twice a year, discussed scheduling a meeting between the government groups and local journalists in an effort to “control the narrative” coming out of a city they’re trying to grow, talked about installing Wi-Fi in city parks that neighbor BISD schools, mulled ways to make routes to school more safe and pitched the prospect of asking residents to support a bond that would construct two new schools.

BISD Trustee Denise Wallace-Spooner said it’s no secret that Beaumont’s schools are overcrowded, saying the need for a new middle and high school has been evident for some time. Trustees didn’t offer a defined dollar amount, but City Councilor Taylor Neild – who pointed to BISD’s declining enrollment – quipped, “Don’t you need kids to fill it first?”

Neild further asserted that BISD has shown it could spend $300 million and fail to make students any more intelligent.