10 February 20–26, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents expansive DEI crackdown and anticipates other departments will soon witness the same level of whittling. “I think we all can see the writing on the wall that SB17 is just the beginning,” she said. “This isn’t the last word.” Watson isn’t the only member of the po- litical science department who noticed a palpable tension. Marijke Breuning has taught international relations courses at UNT since 2008 and has twice taught a course titled “Women, War and Peace.” Breuning will stay at the university but con- firmed the unease among faculty in her de- partment and across campus. “I cannot speak for everyone in my de- partment,” she said. “That said, my general impression is that many faculty members are uncertain what the future holds, both in the department and on campus more broadly.” Social and liberal sciences are the most obvious targets of future DEI regulations, says Kelly Benjamin, a spokesperson for the American Association of University Profes- sors (AAUP). Sociology, anthropology and gender studies professors should buckle in for a bumpy ride as the state and nation nav- igate tumultuous territories under the staunch conservative direction of new Presi- dent Donald Trump. “Prior to this sec- ond Trump adminis- tration, it was safe to say that a lot of fac- ulty that are at insti- tutions witnessing attacks on funda- mental principles, like academic free- dom and interpreta- tions of what diversity, equity and inclusion mean, those faculty tended to look elsewhere,” Benjamin said. “Now that we’re witnessing this nationwide crack- down on diversity, equity, inclusion, I think it calls into question, like, where can people go?” We are in the early stages of the DEI de- molition, says Benjamin. The DEI crack- down will immediately be felt by social science but will also significantly affect the researchers and scientists operating within the same spaces. Benjamin says health- based research programs and studies ana- lyzing the environmental impacts on communities of color have already had the plug completely pulled. “This is crucial. We have one of the pre- eminent biomedical research centers in the world in the United States. All of that re- search is in jeopardy because of this wide net that they’ve cast,” he noted. The AAUP is one of the many organiza- tions that have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for “unlawful and unconstitutional” DEI orders. “There’s no way we’re going to let them undermine American higher education,” Benjamin said. “But it’s going to take a lot of people getting in the fight and ensuring that we have a future of an American higher edu- cation system that serves the public good, not an ideological agenda of whatever pre- vailing politician is in power.” ▼ EDUCATION SCHOOL HOUSES ROCKED A $19 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL HAS LEFT CARROLLTON-FARMERS BRANCH ISD ADMINISTRATORS CONSIDERING SHUTTING DOWN FOUR CAMPUSES. BY EMMA RUBY T he Carrollton-Farmers Branch Inde- pendent School District is the latest North Texas district to consider clos- ing schools in light of budget constraints, but parents of students enrolled at the four schools are opposing the proposal. Furneax, McCoy and Central Elemen- tary Schools and Long Middle School are all on the chopping block, the school board told parents at a recent meeting. The district de- cided consolidating campuses could be a path forward after a 2024 demographics survey found 9,800 empty seats across the district. The closures would also help the district save almost $10 million in the first year, offi- cials project, funds that could help relieve the current $19 million budget deficit. In the school board meeting, parents of McCoy Elementary students gave their opinions about the “unacceptable” decision to close the campus. Though supporters for Central Elementary School were not pres- ent during the meeting, the school’s closure would be detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood, Blancgill Ruiz told the Ob- server. Ruiz went to Central Elementary School herself, and both her son and daughter at- tended the campus. The area surrounding Central Elementary is primarily Hispanic, and Ruiz says its rare neighbors understand how to speak out on issues like a proposed school closure. Language barriers or parents working hours that overlap with district meeting times make it difficult for the community’s voice to be heard. “Just growing up here, being around the district and so forth, if you don’t speak out they’ll just run over you,” Ruiz told the Ob- server. “Central is one of the oldest schools, it’s a safe haven for the community. I just felt the need to take initiative.” Ruiz learned that McCoy Elementary parents had started a Change.org petition — which now has over 1,800 signatures urging the district to keep the school open — so she started her own. The Central petition has garnered more than 750 signatures, and now Ruiz is rallying Central parents and support- ers to advocate for the campus at a Feb. 18 listening session with the district. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is just the most recent district in the area to turn to school closures as a remedy for budget con- straints and plummeting enrollment. Fort Worth ISD, the second largest dis- trict in North Texas, is debating the closure of as many as 25 campuses across the dis- trict. The district is projected to lose 10,000 students in the next decade. Coppell ISD, Richardson ISD, Irving ISD, Plano ISD and Lewisville ISD have also faced campus clo- sures in the last year as North Texas’ popula- tion growth has crept northwards, into prospering Prosper and Celina. Some civil rights groups, like the Ad- vancement Project and the Southern Pov- erty Law Center, warn that students of color are disproportionately bearing the brunt of campus closures. Last year the organiza- tions asked the U.S. Department of Educa- tion’s civil rights office to issue guidance on how districts should go about campus clo- sures equitably. “Research has for a long time shown that school districts target for closure schools in neighborhoods of color, and Black and Latin students disproportionately experience school closures and the well-established harms that result,” a letter sent to the de- partment said. In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch dis- trict’s case, three of the four schools pro- posed for closure — including Central — are Title I schools, meaning at least 40% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch because of their family’s income. On social media, Dallas City Council member Cara Mendelsohn said she is wor- ried about what the school closures could mean for low-income students in the dis- trict. Long Middle School, which is slated to be closed, sits within Dallas’ city border, on the edge of Mendelsohn’s district. “All 3 CFBISD elementary schools with 90% free/reduced lunch are zoned to Long,” Mendelsohn posted to X. “I’m con- cerned about access to before/after school activities, tutoring and summer lunch pro- grams for disadvantaged kids.” Ruiz doesn’t necessarily believe Central has been proposed for closure because it is a Title I school, but she does worry what the change will mean for a community that largely relies on students being able to walk to school each day. Even if the district sup- plies transportation alternatives for families unable to drive to a new campus, she wor- ries a more distant campus will result in more students being tardy or absent. She feels closing Central Elementary would be a decision that “doesn’t make any sense.” The district will hold a Central-spe- cific listening session on Feb. 18, and is ex- pected to vote on the closures in a March 6 school board meeting. Ruiz will be attending both meetings and plans to share what the neighborhood school means to her community. “Central is like the rock of the neighbor- hood. It’s like the fundamental place for the children to go,” Ruiz said. “During the sum- mer you can go and see children playing around. And it’s fine because everybody in the neighborhood is watching.” ▼ ECONOMY ITEM OF INTEREST HERE’S HOW DALLAS’ INFLATION COMPARES WITH THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. BY ALYSSA FIELDS T he Dallas area is mostly on par with the national rate of inflation, if not a touch lower, according to a study from WalletHub. The study used the Con- sumer Price Index Change (CPI), which measures inflation by tracking the change in price for a market basket of goods and ser- vices over a given period. The lower the CPI, the lower the increase in prices. Analysts crunched the numbers, using the CPI over a year, and over the last two months, to rank the 23 largest metropolitan areas. The Dal- las area ranked seventh for highest inflation. “The Dallas metroplex seems to be on solid footing right now,” said WalletHub an- alyst Chip Lubo. The inflation rate over the last year in Dallas was 2.8%, following the national trend. The inflation rate over the last two months was 1.7%. While this tracks under the goal set by the Federal Open Market Committee, which is 2%, it is the second highest in the nation. Chicago had the high- est rate of inflation in the past year, and Houston had the lowest. “That’s not a terrible number,” said Lubo. “But it does indicate that there could be some shocks along the way, particularly in housing prices and in food prices.” On Feb. 12, reports hit newsstands of an irregular and fast-paced increase in infla- tion. The heavily cited report from the Bu- reau of Labor Statistics showed a 3% year-over-year inflation rate. A target infla- tion rate above zero provides a buffer for the economy, allowing for price stability and re- “THERE’S NO WAY WE’RE GOING TO LET THEM UNDERMINE AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION.” -KELLY BENJAMIN Unfair Park from p9 Getty Images As COVID-era funding has dried up and parents are offered more education alternatives, a growing number of North Texas districts are considering campus closures.
