[Excerpt]

San Antonio ISD officials during a Tuesday night meeting struggled to answer basic questions from concerned parents about curricula, sports and transportation options for students at three campuses the district recently handed over to an out-of-state charter operator.

Hosted by the watchdog group COPS/Metro, the forum was arranged so SAISD could address parents’ concerns that the district is privatizing public campuses. However, some attending the gathering said they left with more questions than answers…

As the San Antonio ISD (SAISD) and Edgewood ISD Boards consider relinquishing four neighborhood campuses to Colorado-based charter operator Third Future Schools, COPS/Metro leaders and members showed up in force to testify at SAISD—uncovering the power dynamics at play, raising urgent concerns, and putting forward clear demands to protect families.

SAISD voted unanimously to close Carvajal Elementary, a 76-year old West Side school serving families in one of San Antonio’s poorest zip codes. While the closure disrupts hundreds of families, COPS/Metro leveraged SAISD’s commitment of $28.6 million in bond funds to build a new, modern K–8 school on the West Side.