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Lake Highlands School Site Pits Neighborhood

Against Richardson ISD

October 13, 2016 | Bethany Erickson | 30 Comments | Lake Highlands

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The Lake Highlands neighborhood that might be home to the proposed White Rock Trail
Elementary is pretty adamant about its opposition, citing a deed restriction at the top of its
list of reasons. (Photo courtesy Rahul Yodh)

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If you build a school, but most of the neighborhood is against it, will they come?

That was the question I was left pondering after conversations on both sides of a debate
over whether the proposed site for White Rock Valley Elementary. On one side, you have
Richardson ISD, who insists that the site – bordered by Walnut Hill, White Rock Trail and
DART tracks is the most viable option. On the other, you have the parents and neighbors
who insist the site is dangerous, expensive and potentially unallowable because of a public
deed restriction in place since the 1970s.

The opposition has coalesced into a grassroots group – “We Have a Voice.” Rahul Yodh, its
spokesman, says that the group realizes that overcrowding at White Rock Elementary
means something must be done – but not at this site.

“We see the need for a school, it’s just a really bad location for it,” he said. “Our precinct is
one of the only ones that voted against the bond in May. We’ve been really "rm in our
opposition, but they (Richardson ISD) have kind of ignored us.”

Yodh said that more than 1500 emails have been sent to Dallas city councilman Adam
McGough (White Rock Valley, which sits in Lake Highlands, is in Dallas city limits, but is in
Richardson ISD attendance zone). Of those emails, “86.4 percent are against the school,”
Yodh said, adding that for comparison, “only 750 people from our precinct cast ballots in the
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council election.”

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Richardson ISD communications director Tim Clark said that the district feels it’s made a
good e$ort to make sure stakeholders get a say and to make sure the process is
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transparent, pointing to a regularly updated website designed to disseminate the most
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current status of the project and answer questions.
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“Throughout this process, the district has heard a wide variety of feedback from
stakeholders, including residents with concerns about the site and parents in support of the Dallas Open Houses
new school,” he said. “RISD is responsible for accommodating the very substantial To Wow You This
enrollment growth within the White Rock Elementary attendance boundary, and Board Weekend
members have recognized that no solution is going to please everybody.”

“We Have a Voice” has several arguments about why the site is unsuitable for a school, but Workplace Changes
the biggest one – and possibly the biggest hurdle for Richardson ISD – is the fact that You Can Expect in
neighbors petitioned for and received a deed restriction on the plot years ago. This deed Post-Covid O!ce
restriction limits what kind of uses the plot has. Space

“My next door neighbor has lived in the neighborhood for 40 years now,” Yodh said. “My
neighbor and her husband and brother-in-law went door to door to get the deed restriction
passed.” Hot Builders

“There’s a true neighborhood element to it,” he added. “They had the forethought to put
that deed restriction in place. And it’s a public deed restriction, not a private one.”

In fact, a recent demolition permit McGough shared on his Facebook wall indicates that the
city is aware of the deed restriction. On the permit, dated September 16, it is noted in the
application remarks, “Note: School is not permitted on this site.”
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However, Clark said the district feels con"dent that it can prevail. “RISD believes it can legally
build a school on the site and is continuing to work with City sta$ on the issue,” he said
Tuesday.

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Beyond the deed restriction, the group has a laundry list of issues that they say make the
site unsuitable. “It’s bounded by the only industrial site in District 10,” Yodh said. “And then
DART tracks, an access ramp, Walnut Hill Lane, and then White Rock Trail, a two-lane road
that really can’t be widened.”

It can’t be widened, he said, because it would require neighbors living on the street to give
up land and “a little further south, it’s in a #oodplain and there are drainage ditches – which
means they’d have to deal with the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Because of the busy streets and the narrowness of White Rock Trail, the group feels one of
the things most prized about the neighborhood and the existing White Rock Elementary –
walkability – would be sacri"ced.

“I watch children and their parents walk past my house every morning,” Yodh said. That
walkability is part of the neighborhood’s identity, neighbors will tell you.

But the lot size is also an issue, too.

“The site is also really small – four and a half acres,”

Yodh continued. “It’s not #at – it’s on this slope. It’s
a 39-foot change in elevation. That makes it really
hard and expensive build on.”

The school, which will be two stories and will have

a parking garage, will generate more tra!c on
White Rock Trail (to get a look at the proposed
Proposed site for White Rock Trail building and specs, see this packet from
Elementary.
Richardson ISD). The district has done tra!c
studies that indicate that tra!c signals will likely
need to be re-timed during school hours, but city tra!c studies are pending.

The group said that they even feel the district’s price tag may be wrong. “They say it will cost
$30 million, because they’re not counting the land cost and demo cost. With a 10 percent
overrun, you’re at $39 to 40 million,” Yodh said.

Although the group has said in other interviews that it’s Richardson ISD’s job to "nd a better
site, they do point to several alternatives. “There are alternatives out there, “ Yodh insisted.
“RISD seems to have their mind made up on this. They only spent 3 weeks looking for land.”

Yodh outlines a timeline that begins in November 2015. “One of our members spoke about
the overcrowding issue at a school board meeting,” he said, adding that they were told the
district wanted to wait until demographic information was released in January.

“January the demographic info comes out, and on the 26th, they’re in negotiations to buy
this property,” he said.

“McGough worked to negotiate a land swap with the Dallas Parks and Rec,” Yodh continued.
“That was a viable option, and RISD turned it down.”

The group also said there are other commercial properties available, and although the land
cost would be higher, the construction costs would be less.

“They count the land cost in when they’re talking about alternative properties, but don’t
count it in when they talk about this piece of land,” Yodh added. “They keep kind of blowing
through our opposition, and they aren’t listening to the community.”

“During discussions related to bond planning and enrollment growth, RISD began evaluating
potential sites for land acquisition in fall of 2015 near the areas of most signi"cant
enrollment growth in Lake Highlands,” Clark said. “The area is well developed, and existing
property and sites both on and o$ the market were evaluated. The White Rock Trail site was
evaluated in early 2016, and architects con"rmed the site could accommodate an
elementary school.”

“Based on evaluations of sites in the area, RISD sta$ believed the White Rock Trail site was
the best location available and would provide the Board of Trustees with an option to
accommodate enrollment growth directly in the K-6 attendance area experiencing the
highest levels of growth in RISD.”

Clark said the evaluation process continued while they were negotiating the purchase of the
land. “RISD continued to evaluate sites after the White Rock Trail property was purchased,
and again determined that the WRT location was the best site available for a new school
from among available options in the area.”

“The district considered more than 15 potential sites for a new elementary school, including
land the district currently owns at Lake Highlands HS and Lake Highlands JH,” he said.
“Consistent with evaluations of previous school sites in RISD, the merits of di$erent
potential sites were discussed by Trustees in closed sessions to allow the district to remain
competitive in negotiations to secure land. RISD is choosing to keep the speci"c locations
con"dential so negotiations can be competitive in the event the district pursues one of the
sites in the future.”

Most recently, the district said it would form a committee of neighborhood stakeholders to
hear out community concerns. Yodh said he sent emails to the board, to see if “We Have a
Voice” would be included. “Crickets,” he said. “I haven’t heard a thing.” The committee, he
said, is currently made up of district o!cials, PTA presidents, Dad’s Club presidents and
homeowners associations.”

Yodh said he knows the district will push ahead on this site. “They’re going to apply for
permits, the city will deny them, and then it will go into litigation,” he said. “It doesn’t matter
what the boundaries are, or the makeup of the school. The site is not safe, the site is not
walkable, it’s going to cause a huge tra!c problem, and it’s too expensive.”

“Yes, the voters gave you this bond money, but you have to spend it responsibly,” he added.

Families have also said they’ve been warned that if this site falls through because of
opposition, their children could be sent to schools further away from their neighborhood.

“If they are going to do a comprehensive redrawing of the boundaries, that’s OK. We get
that,” Yodh said. “What we don’t want, which is the threat, is that we’re going to pluck kids
from White Rock Elementary and send them to the Lake Highlands school furthest away –
which is Thurgood Marshall.”

Lake Highland isn’t at capacity and is closer,” he added. “For Lake Highlands Elementary, 350
kids live in its attendance zone. Attendance is 650 because they bring in kids and have
special programs. Capacity is 750.”

“The earliest a new school could be open is in time for the 2018-19 school year, and if the
planning or construction process is delayed, it could be 2019-2020. White Rock’s enrollment
is projected to surpass 1,000 student by 2018,” Clark said when asked about where students
would go if the project was delayed. “Additional portable classrooms at WRE are not
considered an option from a school operations standpoint, so once di$erent grade levels
become full (which would likely occur during pre-registration in the spring), students would
be temporarily assigned to other RISD schools that do have capacity in respective grade
levels through a process known as over#ow.”

“The district won’t have an idea of which other schools will have space in di$erent grade
levels for the 2018-19 school year until the late spring/summer of 2018,” he continued.
“Given the high number of students that are projected to be over#owed, a combination of
other schools will likely accommodate WRE students until the new school can open,
potentially including both Lake Highlands and Thurgood Marshall elementary schools,
among others.”

Yodh said longtime residents of his neighborhood have told him that Richardson ISD has
apparently not learned from its own history. “RISD did this before back in 1996,” he said.
“They wanted to build the freshman center on White Rock Trail, about 1100 feet from this
site. The proposed site was on the south side, where the nursing homes are now.”

“They bought the piece of land. Faced tons of neighborhood opposition to it. And they
eventually backed o$, and built the center where it is now.”

“My neighbor tells me that she asked the board, ‘How many of you all have actually gone to
this site?’ Three of the seven raised their hands,” Yodh added. “It was in a #oodplain.”

Yodh, whose children attend private schools, says that he does wonder how many parents
will opt to send their children to the new school if the district succeeds in building it on such
a contentious spot.

“The people who would be zoned to it are fairly a%uent, and can a$ord to go private,” he
said. “So I don’t know.”

Posted in Lake Highlands

Lake Highlands, Richardson ISD, Tim Clark, We Have a Voice, White Rock Elementary, White
Rock Trail Elementary

Bethany Erickson
Bethany Erickson lives in a 1961 Fox and Jacobs home with her
husband, a second-grader, and Conrad Bain the dog. If she won
the lottery, she'd by an E. Faye Jones home. She's taken home a
few awards for her writing, including a Gold award for Best Series
at the 2018 National Association of Real Estate Editors journalism
awards, a 2018 Hugh Aynesworth Award for Editorial Opinion from
the Dallas Press Club, and a 2019 award from NAREE for a piece
linking Medicaid expansion with housing insecurity. She is a
member of the Online News Association, the Education Writers
Association, the International Academy of Digital Arts and
Sciences, and the Society of Professional Journalists. She doesn't
like lima beans or the word moist.

← Reimagined, Reinvented Oak Cli$ Tudor CandysDirt.com Sta$ Meeting: Room For
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Comments

George Cullum says

October 13, 2016 at 1:41 pm

What a well written article that is actually showing what the majority
of the community feels about this location. I am a parent of a second
grader at White Rock Elementary right now and have a daughter who
will be attending in a couple years. I feel like their are many better
options for a future school to be built. RISD doesn’t want to own up
to the fact that they made a mistake and should strongly look at a
5/6 grade center at the middle school. A 5/6 grade center would not
only help the overcrowding at WRE, but it would also alleviate future
overcrowding issues at other neighboring schools.

Reply

Dave Childress says

October 13, 2016 at 2:11 pm

I’ve done land deals with school districts in Mississippi, Georgia, and
Florida over the past 20 years, and I’ve never seen a school board
ignore the residents like this. Their continued resistance in the face
of massive opposition is enough to make you think that someone’s
getting some cash under the table here from a developer.

Reply

Elizabeth White says

October 13, 2016 at 3:25 pm

Great article!! Thank you.

Reply

Kristin says
October 13, 2016 at 3:38 pm

Great article!

Reply

Shelby says
October 13, 2016 at 3:45 pm

Great article, thanks for helping make our voice heard!

Reply

Jordan Chaney says

October 13, 2016 at 5:22 pm

“McGough worked to negotiate a land swap with the Dallas Parks

and Rec,” Yodh continued. “That was a viable option, and RISD
turned it down.”

Giving up park land is not a viable option. It may be the option Mr.
Yodh wants (so to him viable), But losing parkland in the middle of
the neighborhood is horrible option and was not vetted with the
public.

And it just moves your tra!c complaints to another neighborhood

that also loses park space.

Reply

George says
October 13, 2016 at 9:33 pm

It wasn’t a land swap. It was not any sort of giving up park land. It
was deal where Lake Highlands HS would lose their on-campus
tennis courts in order to build an elementary at the edge of the
HS campus. Dallas Fair Oaks park would allow the tennis team to
use their courts a mile or so away. It was a proposed school/city
partnership, more of which we need. It was not a land swap.

Reply

Julie says
October 13, 2016 at 10:00 pm

George, when I discussed it personally with Adam, his idea

was to build an elementary school on the LHHS campus
where the tennis courts and baseball "eld are located, and
MOVE the ball "elds, stands and parking to the park across
the street. Adam assured me and others that he was just
brainstorming and that was not a true proposal that would
move forward.

Reply

Jordan says
October 14, 2016 at 2:57 pm

Thank you. Julie. Yes it showed a good portion of Lake

highlands North Park lost to school facilities. i am happy it
was dropped

Reply

Julie says
October 13, 2016 at 9:53 pm

It’s incredible that disgruntled neighbors are still promoting the

"ction that RISD ignored them. In fact, there were re#ector
committees, meetings, presentations, and countless surveys over
many months through which RISD requested feedback and
reported back to the community.

The “We Have a Voice Group” does not represent the entire
neighborhood — far from it. And I would submit that those of us
who are committed to the public school system may have more
relevant voices than someone with children in private schools.
That’s quite a revelation.

Another revelation is Adam McGough’s negotiation with Parks

and Rec for a land swap that was supposedly turned down by
RISD. Really? When Adam received very negative feedback on
that idea when he posted it on Facebook, he assured those of us
in a community meeting that he was “just brainstorming” and
had not in fact approached Parks and Rec with the proposal.
Which is the truth?

Reply

Mike says
October 13, 2016 at 10:21 pm

Youre right, Julie. The entire neighborhood doesn’t hate the

school. Just the sane ones who don’t put all their blind faith in
RISD, or have a vested interest like you do.
 Reply

Julie says
October 14, 2016 at 1:06 pm

Mike, thanks for providing this perfect example of why

more school supporters don’t speak up.

Reply

Mike says
October 14, 2016 at 3:31 pm

If school supporters had valid points, I’d welcome that

discussion.

But saying that “you had your moment to speak” and

“you were heard” falls #at when the surveys, town hall
meetings and re#ector committees all heavily favored
a far di$erent solution than the one RISD chose to
move forward with. They might have “heard” the
community, but they didn’t “listen”. Two di$erent
things.

Rachel says
October 13, 2016 at 11:22 pm

If I remember correctly, many of those things were done after

this land had already been purchased. I would agree with you
that the people with kids in public schools have a very vested
interest in this project- but because of this location it also
deeply a$ects everyone in the neighborhood in terms of
tra!c, safety, and community regardless of whether or not
they have children who may or may not attend this proposed
school.

Reply

Rahul says
October 13, 2016 at 10:30 pm

To clarify any confusion, here is the link to an article from the

Advocate “Councilman McGough Proposes Solution To School
Overcrowding”
http://lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/2016/04/councilman-
mcgough-proposes-solution-school-overcrowding/

I want to be clear, this is just one of many alternatives to a school

at WRT. We Have A Voice is not advocating for any one of them. A
meaningful conversation on alternatives cannot be had until the
school at WRT is stopped. The site is not safe, is not walkable and
will pose a signi"cant tra!c problem.

Reply

Amy says
October 13, 2016 at 8:02 pm

Such a great article!!!! Well done!!!

Reply

Chris Menczer says

October 13, 2016 at 8:21 pm

Excellent article!!

What’s most upsetting is that RISD has such an incredible

opportunity here to really turn the corner in Lake Highlands and
make this area the true “destination district” they claim to so
desperately desire. And they are absolutely blowing it with this
terrible site location. The people in this neighborhood have really
sunk their heart and soul into this community and it is just plain sad
to watch a callous governmental entity threaten to rip this
community apart.

And Jordan, while I appreciate your strong feelings on the subject I

could not disagree with you more. We have more park land than any
other neighborhood in Dallas. While I would regret losing any of it,
that sacri"ce would be well justi"ed to ensure the new school is built
in a safe, walkable, "nancially responsible location. I suspect that if
you lived in the a$ected attendance zone, then you might agree.

Reply

Angela Calabrese says

October 13, 2016 at 8:39 pm

This headline is very misleading. It makes it sound like it is the entire

neighborhood agaainst RISD and the new school. It is a group of
people but there is also a group that supports the district. Please tell
the whole story.

Reply

Bethany Erickson says

October 13, 2016 at 9:04 pm

The body of the story alludes to the fact that about 15 percent
either want it or don’t care either way, or both. Headlines have to
be brief.

And please feel free to expand on the neighbors that disagree,

and why! And encourage your neighbors who want the school at
the proposed site to comment as well – it’s the best way to get
the whole story told.

Reply

Julie says
October 16, 2016 at 8:24 am

Bethany, supporters who speak up are met with abuse. See

replies to my comments for a great example combining the
main themes: supporters are insane or stupid, in thrall to the
evil RISD, have no valid points, and have some kind of secret
vested interests in the new school. So you won’t see much
advocacy anymore on social media. Unfortunately, that
silence contributes to the false impression that everyone is in
agreement against the new school.

Reply

Eric Tucker says

October 13, 2016 at 9:16 pm

Thanks for the article. The WRT location is such a terrible site. RISD
really could not have selected a worse place to put a school. I hope
they come to their senses and realize how unsafe and unwalkable
their site location is. And, don’t be fooled about the boundary "ght. If
the school is build, boundaries can be changed any time.

Reply

Ashley says
October 13, 2016 at 9:29 pm

What a great article! Thank you for so clearly and thoroughly

explaining these issues. It is so disheartening to see a school district
plow forward with a project with such widespread opposition.

Reply

Jason says
October 13, 2016 at 11:11 pm

The White Rock Villas HOA Board of Directors voted 7-0 NOT to
support a school at that site. This was after a Meeting of our
homeowners, in which no one voiced support for the school at this
site. I don’t know why people keep saying this is a vocal minority. If
you state that you are for the school, could you please indicate
whether you are now in the Proposed Boundaries for WRT? Also,
being against the site doesn’t mean being against alternatives.
Someone mentioned the Re#ector Committee. The majority of that
committee voiced support for a 5/6 school at LHJH. That wasn’t clear
in the article. But this site had already been purchased and the
tenants given notice to vacate before the Re#ector Committee gave
its recommendations.

Reply

Angela says
October 14, 2016 at 6:19 am

Great Article! Thank you for getting this info out there. This location
is not safe of anyone, children, neighbors or sta$. Lake Highlands is
a great place to live and raise a family. The people here have worked
hard to build a true community to include everyone despite which
side of the street they are on. I hope the district will listen now and
trust us to know what is best for this area. It is not a school here. We
moved here to be a part of this district, we want them to be a part of
us for a better solution that helps all of LH.

Reply

Brent says
October 14, 2016 at 9:16 am

Those that are against it have not presented any viable alternatives..
I suppose we are not hearing from a majority in support because the
proposed rezoning for the new school only displaces those on the
north side of walnut hill and along white rock trail corridor leaving
the core of the neighborhood intact. Wasn’t a 5/6 grade center
already shut down by the district based upon research showing
disruption to learning process? Why not add on to the school? Add a
story? Increase common areas? Rezone to other schools? Looking at
big picture, if these kids continue on o the LHJH and LHHS, the
growth there will be exponential and we should be looking at those
numbers for the next 5-10 years or will be facing the same thing
there.

Reply

Jason says
October 14, 2016 at 10:17 am

Yeah. The 5/6 is so horrible in Highland Park ISD.

Reply

Ali Cullum says

October 14, 2016 at 10:12 am

Mr. Holland, why are you being so hateful to Rahul? Calling out
someone and making fun of their name is completely disrespectful,
counter productive, and has nothing to do with helping solve this
issue. No matter what side of this issue we are on, we are all
neighbors at the end of the day. Don’t let this situation ruin what
makes our neighborhood such a great place to live. We need to be
able to be honest with our opinions and disagree like adults, with
respect for one another. Anyone who lives in the area that will be
e$ected by a potential school at WRT & WH has a right to speak to
what they feel is the best option. You wouldn’t yell and disrespect an
elderly neighbor who doesn’t want a school there just because they
don’t have kids at the school……

Reply

Bonnie Threadgill says

October 14, 2016 at 10:47 am

Thanks for supporting what is best for our children!

Reply

Brent Schultz says

October 14, 2016 at 11:04 am

Thank you for the most comprehensive article discussing this issue
yet. RISD has spent the entire year trying to get the neighborhood to
accept the worst sited elementary school in the entire district. Yes,
dead last. There were discussions about making the WRT site a split
campus with WRE. There was talk about whether the building should
be 2 or 3 stories, which was a false discussion since it was always
going to be 2. RISD would need to talk to the city of Dallas to make it
3 stories, something they want to avoid at every turn. There was talk
about whether the building should be brick or more glass and steel.
The neighborhood didn’t really care about that. There was all kinds
of boundary discussions in an attempt to divide and distract the
community. There was discussion about how the WRT site may only
be second worst in the district in terms of play space. RISD continues
to set the bar high.

Was there ever a discussion about WHERE this school should be?
Sadly, no. RISD cites attorney privilege when dealing with land.
Unfortunately, that’s the primary issue. RISD and supporters of the
school continue to call it “not ideal” which is an insult to every other
school built. Even more concerning, RISD only wants to a$ect WRE
with this new school instead of helping more Lake Highlands
elementary schools that are near, at, or exceeding capacity. We
know a school in north Lake Highlands is coming, too, but where is
the long-term planning?

The "ght to stop the school at WRT will continue. This is not over.

Reply

Lake Highlands ISD says

October 15, 2016 at 8:46 am

The sad fact is that RISD is a total disaster and they’re not going to
get this right, even after the City of Dallas stops them from building
at this site. While there are great people all over RISD at all levels,
they have failed Lake Highlands for decades and it’s time to move
on. Let RISD focus on Richardson and LHISD focus on Lake
Highlands.

Texas Education Code Chapter 13 provides the path for detachment.

It’s time to stop expecting people who don’t care about Lake
Highlands to "x things, and time to "x them on our own.

Reply

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