Wednesday’s vote was the culmination of a weeks-long campaign to stop expansion of an Uplift Pinnacle charter school at I-35 and Camp Wisdom Road.
Council members heard from speakers on both sides of the debate. Troy Jackson’s four kids now attend Pinnacle. As they get older, he wants them to stay in the charter school, so he supports what Uplift wants to build, a K-through-12 school.
“Since my kids have been going to the school, I’ve seen great progress with my children,” Jackson said. “They love to learn, they come home telling me everything they learned today. They share it with their younger sibling. We have great communication with the teachers and I think it’s a great thing for the community.”
Beatrice Martinez is a Dallas activist and real estate broker. She says this charter school will not improve the community she says she’s known and worked in for decades.
“You’re taking from Dallas ISD, money. The taxpayers – my dollars - to go to a charter school. That’s wrong, I know most of you This is wrong, and you know it. You’re selling our city for nothing.” 17
After a couple dozen speakers sounded off, it was the council members turn to talk. And some speech turned hyperbolic. Council member Carolyn Arnold opposes the school and says city officials should’ve listened to residents’ concerns.
“This community has told me they have not been actively engaged,” Arnold said. “It is tantamount to rape. It’s ok, we’re going to come in a little bit at a time. It’s wrong for us to ignore those individuals who have sent us to this city hall to represent them.”
In the end, Arnold’s side lost by a vote. Council member Rick Callahan said he was swayed most by the hundreds of charter school students at the meeting.
“I keep looking at the kids sitting out there and it means a lot to them, I guess, or they wouldn’t have shown up to hear the hijinks and the grand performance,” Callahan said. “Just because we were to vote this down today, chances are they’re going to do what they used to do, and that’s go to Duncanville, go to Desoto, go to Lancaster. . .”
Council member Erik Wilson said this really was a zoning issue, not a referendum on charter schools, despite the fight.