Chapter 14 — Maplewood Elementary community meeting

**Date in the room:** Wednesday, October 29, 2025, morning. Same calendar day as the evening board work session (Chapter 15). Principal: this is also her Friday coffee. Book-character parade Friday 8:00 (`00:00:59`). **Source:** `meetings/clean/20251030-Maplewood-Elementary-School-Community-Meeting--October-29-2025.txt`

This is a campus meeting, not a board meeting. **District 1 trustee Candace Hunter is present, listening. She does not take a question on the recording.** End of meeting (`01:53:20`):

> “I’d also just like to mention that our trustee, our district one trustee, uh, Miss Hunter is here and she’s been listening to the meeting. Hi. And she has offered to stick around as well and speak with families.”

Campbell PTA: they “did have a meeting with Trusty Hunter” and “had to find out through Trusty Hunter that this meeting was even happening” (`01:20:00`). Off-mic advocacy, on-mic silence during the staff Q&A.

**RESULT:** There is no vote tonight. Purpose slide: insights “before the November 20 vote” (`00:04:21`). Segura will not say yes/no that Maplewood→Campbell is locked; “strong probability” (`00:59:48`).

Who is in the room

**Campus / community**

**District staff who speak**

**Board:** Hunter present, not running the meeting.

Opening (`00:00:01`–`00:20:03`)

Paula: library as overflow; pre-registration; adult peacemakers.

Ally: community brought **three options**; PTA invited to present; or comment-card FAQs. Show of hands: start with FAQs (`00:19:25`). The three options stay on the table as staff “ideas you wanted us to consider”; they do not get a separate walkthrough at the top of the hour.

Staff line: Steinport, French, McWills, Lee, O’Neal, Reyes, Maxwell, Gardinus.

Segura (`00:05:31`): city only thrives with strong schools; not true they exist everywhere. Declining enrollment; 2023 legislature didn’t fund; two years later “about $10 million in our $1 billion operating budget. Doesn’t move the needle” (`00:08:47`). Title II/III/IV frozen; 100 people told they won’t be employed; ~2,500 students down, “all in one part of town.” 17 B schools became F the next year, same kids, same teachers (`00:09:39`). Five drivers: feeders (Dobey 3 HS, Martin 5, Méndez 4); deficit (one-time land sales “not sustainable”); wall-to-wall dual language (14/21/22/44% EB) plus Montessori; transfer policies (majority-minority, diversity choice, schools at 120–130%); TAP chains.

**Proposal:** Maplewood **wholly into Campbell**, 2026–27. Full population fits. October 3 draft was harsh on transfers; Friday (Halloween morning) draft: transfers into a closing school **100% approved** to the receiving school; sibling transfers automatic except application programs (Richards, LASA) (`00:15:43`–`00:17:29`). Version control: say it verbally now, publish October 31 so every campus sees it at once.

Steinport: Maplewood boundary slides into Campbell; “feathering”; some Blackshear → Campbell (`00:18:24`).

Why close an A school / librarians as a trade (`00:20:03`–`00:31:32`)

Segura: they did **not** start with accountability; if they had, they would only close D/F schools. Inefficiency remains even if every school were high-performing. Other districts close high-performing schools. Inverse — Campbell into Maplewood — would be “historical harm” (`00:21:33`).

Dr. Julie Shu (`00:22:46`): low ratios for interventionists, counselors, LSSPs; PTA had to fundraise a part-time math interventionist; 122 eco-dis students here; what happens to Campbell Title I?

Segura: counselor ratio 1:400–450 vs best practice 1:300. Fundraising for interventionists “is not something that should happen.” 2022–23: Title I remainder used to fund instructional coaches at Title I schools for the first time.

> “I had schools like asking Matias **can we trade a librarian for instructional coach or a content interventionist** can I trade uh you know assistant principal… it should not be that way you should not have to trade staff to get what you need” (`00:25:46`)

Title I: district eco-dis 62–63% years ago, struggling to stay above 50%; unique among urban districts; federal shift to block grants. TAP schools get extra (~$800k) on top; Title threshold conversation for combined populations (`00:29:39`). Five staffing scenarios in the October 3 attachments; details after principals are together (`00:30:23`).

“Planning time” in this file is **calendar** to execute a merger (`00:40:46`), not a teacher planning period.

Draft or decision (`00:59:05`)

Parent: “this is very clearly not a draft at the base… Maplewood will be merged with Campbell.” Segura: “it’ll be my recommendation… strong probability… At the end of the day, it comes down to what do you exchange?” Yes, there is a budget deficit (`00:59:48`–`01:00:23`). Later: TAP pieces have to be voted; Maplewood/Campbell vote-timing question — he does not want to wait until spring (`01:08:15`). Sunset Valley is TAP-tied because of Winn, “They’re not” in the same way (`01:09:52`).

Campbell PTA (`01:17:44`–`01:23:15`)

No meeting at Campbell. “borderline embarrassing” to talk equity without hosting people of color who attend Campbell. Families found out after the draft. Meeting with Trustee Hunter; “had to find out through Trusty Hunter that this meeting was even happening.” 40% transfer in because it is a historically Black school; attrition of Black and brown families if outnumbered. Ask: legacy (alumni) transfers, not just siblings; dual language will phase out at Campbell and Campbell kids won’t access it; Title I interventionists if Maplewood fundraising families leave.

Liz (Maplewood PTA): conversations with Campbell; fear Campbell “will become Maplewood”; concrete measures for eco-dis families, culture, Title I; why not boundaries the other way (Blackshear/Campbell, Oak Springs)?

Close (`01:49:11`–`01:53:46`)

Paula and Principal Moore: joyful teaching; “a rising tide raises all boats”; love the teachers. Concert/rally Cherrywood Coffee House 5–8. **Hunter is here, will stick around.**

Promises (this night)

What was never said

**Recapture. Inflation. Allotment. Class size.** $10 million on a $1 billion operating budget is the legislature line, not “raise the basic allotment.”

Board vs. staff

Staff ran 90 minutes. Hunter sat, listened, offered hallway time. Campbell PTA used her as the person who even told them the meeting existed. She does not answer Shu, Dunlap, or the draft-or-decision question on the tape. No vote.

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