Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District

Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District is a public school district based in Sour Lake, Texas (USA). The district covers south-central Hardin and northwestern Jefferson counties.

In addition to Sour Lake, the district serves the cities of China, Nome, and Bevil Oaks, as well as the unincorporated community of Pinewood Estates.

Hardin-Jefferson won the 2007 Boys Basketball State Championship, beating Abilene Wylie 56 to 44.

In 2009, the school district was rated "recognized" by the Texas Education Agency. ^[1]

History

Hurricane Harvey damage and new construction

In 2017, the site of the original Henderson Junior High School was damaged by flooding from Hurricane Harvey, with the storm causing $30,000,000 in damages. From the 2017-2018 to the 2024-2024 school years, middle school students were educated in portable buildings. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers awarded the district nearly $28,000,000 of federal grants as part of a cost-sharing agreement in 2020 to replace Henderson Middle School. The school district passed two bonds in 2021 to use the funds to build a new Henderson Middle School, field house, and auditorium. ^[2] Construction began the same year. ^[3]

Racially-motivated renaming controversy

In March 2023, the school board of trustees, wholly composed of white members, voted to rename the new middle school Hardin-Jefferson Junior High to "align the name" of the middle school to other schools in the district after approximately 60 years of the school being named in honor of former principal J.H. Henderson. The decision to rename was met with disapproval from some members of the surrounding communities, accusing the district of wiping the name of J.H. Henderson, as principal of the then-Black school China High School which was later repurposed as a desegregated middle school 1960s. Henderson had been "the only Black high school principal to survive integration in China" and was praised as an educational pioneer of both the White and Black communities within the district, having served 29 years as a teacher. ^{[4] [3]} Previously, more schools in the district had long been named in Henderson's honor. The board reassured that they were seeking alternative ways to honor Henderson and past employees' legacies ^[3] and adopted a new policy for the renaming of facilities that "could provide for community input to be presented to the board", which was met with additional criticism, with allegations of a more sinister reason being behind the changes, and questioning why no elementary schools were renamed. ^[5] The policy set requirements deceased persons had to meet in order to have a school named in their honor and an extensive community review process. ^[6]

In November 2023, two motions were made: one to rename China Elementary to James H. Henderson Elementary, and a subsequent motion to change the name to China-Henderson Elementary as a compromise. Both failed on a 3-3 vote from the school board. ^[7]

Schools

• Hardin-Jefferson High (Grades 9-12)
  • The high school campus, newly built for the '09-'10 school year, sits along Texas State Highway 326 next to its predecessor, now Henderson Middle School.
• Hardin-Jefferson Junior High (Grades 6-8)
  • Newly built for the 2023-2024 school year was built along Texas 326 next to Hardin-Jefferson High School and its predecessor Henderson Middle School.
• Sour Lake Elementary (Grades PK-5)
  • Serving, largely, that of the district that lies in Hardin County (as well as some Nome residents), the campus sits along Highway 326 south of Sour Lake.
• China Elementary (Grades PK-5)
  • Previously located in the center of China, the district instead allocated the old middle school campus (with considerable renovations) for use as the new elementary.

Former

• Henderson Middle (Grades 6-8)
  • Previously located in China where China Elementary now stands, the district relocated the middle school staff and students to the old high school campus in 2009. Shut down due to damages called by Hurricane Harvey.
• Henderson Village (Grades 6-8)
  • Portable classrooms opened in 2017 due to damages to Henderson Middle. Closed in 2023 due to new middle school opening.

Notable alumni

• Ben Broussard – Major League Baseball first baseman ^[8]

References

1. "2009 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original on 2015-10-25.
2. Windes, Isaac. "FEMA will pay to rebuild 2 SE Texas middle schools". Beaumont Enterprise.
3. "'We aren't gonna stop fighting' : Hardin-Jefferson ISD school board votes to pass policy for naming buildings". 12newsnow.com. June 26, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
4. Ramos, Ralph (May 24, 1973). "Black Educator". Beaumount Enterprise. pp. 4A.
5. Juan, Angel San (2023-06-14). "Questions arise about HJISD board's motives in getting rid of Black educator's name from school building". KBTV. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
6. Malick, Olivia; Hollinshead, Matt (2023-06-28). "Henderson name still missing from Hardin-Jefferson schools". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
7. "'Keep his name alive' | Hardin-Jefferson ISD school board denies motion to rename China Elementary after pioneer black educator". 12newsnow.com. November 13, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
8. "Ben Broussard Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.

External links

• Hardin-Jefferson ISD