SANTA FE
Mothers of the victims of the Santa Fe High School shooting and members of the Santa Fe Ten Memorial Foundation are preparing for a fight over a memorial they believe should be, and was intended to be, placed in front of the high school.
The Santa Fe Independent School District board of trustees voted unanimously Monday to cease discussion about leasing land on the high school campus to the foundation for the memorial.
“I was completely blindsided by the decision,” Shannon Claussen, a foundation board member, said.
Claussen is the mother of Christian Riley Garcia, 15, who was among the 10 people killed in the May 18, 2018 shooting.
“This memorial is a reminder to everyone,” Claussen said. “It’s a reminder to do better.”
Within hours of the meeting Monday, a sign indicating land in front of the high school was the future home of the memorial was taken down.
The decision was made after the board heard from its attorney all options for the location of the memorial, Rusty Norman, president of the school board, said.
“It’s not a decision that the board took lightly at all,” Norman said. “We are trying to do our best to help out. We have a responsibility to students, staff and taxpayers. We just want to do what we feel is right.
“There have been some comments that we promised that we would build the memorial in front of the high school,” Norman said. “That is not the case. We approved the concept, not the location.”
The board voted 7-0 at a meeting June 15, 2020 to approve an initial design for a memorial to be built at the Santa Fe High School.
“After we approved it, the board told them that by no means are we agreeing on a location for it at the time,” Norman said. “We had to consider legal issues, safety and security issues, and the emotional wellbeing of students seeing the memorial every day.”
Those options included selling, leasing or donating land for the memorial, Norman said.
The option to donate was unlikely, the school district’s attorney, Ellen Spalding, told the board Monday.
To donate, Texas law demands the land must formerly have been used as a school campus; and the land must have improvements on it; and those improvements must have historical significance; and all of it must no longer be needed for educational purposes, Spalding said.
Selling wasn’t an option because the district would have had to demand a price above fair market value, Norman said.
Leasing land to the foundation wasn’t an option for many reasons, Norman said.
“There is maintenance and upkeep we have to consider,” Norman said. “And then the emotional stresses that come with kids going to school every day seeing that memorial.”
“Students already have reminders of the event from the new safety measures we have put in place in recent years,” Norman said.
The school district owns a 4-acre parcel abutting Joe A. Tambrella Park, about 2.5 miles from the high school. The board is considering offering to sell that land to the city, with the idea the city would come to some agreement with the foundation about putting the memorial there, Norman said.
“The park location is a great setting for the memorial,” Norman said.
Members of the district intend to present a proposal plan to the Santa Fe city council soon, Norman said.
Foundation members said they were unaware of plans to sell the land near the park for the memorial.
Members of the foundation addressed every issue that the board had with the location, Claussen said.
The school already has taken donations for two other parts of the memorial, Claussen said. Those are the “Unfillable Chair,” which was unveiled at the third anniversary of the shooting and stands 8 feet tall permanently on high school grounds, and the Indian Statue, which is planned to be unveiled on the fifth anniversary of the shooting.
“All they are giving us are excuses at this point,” Rosie Yamas-Stone, fundraising officer for the foundation and mother of Chris Stone said.
Chris Stone died at age 17 during the shooting at the high school. He would have celebrated his 22nd birthday Wednesday.
“The board is making a profit off of our kids by selling their land to make the city responsible for the memorial,” Rosie Yamas-Stone said.
The memorial foundation is reviewing options for building a memorial at the high school and will continue to coordinate and communicate with the district about that, officials said.
“Our commitment to memorialize the 10 lives lost is unwavering,” Megan Grove, chair faculty associate of the memorial foundation, said.
“With positive purpose and cause, we will continue to work towards a resolution and completion of this landmark of hope and resilience for our school and community.”
(12) comments
As usual, our School Board embarrasses the City and citizens with excuses and ignorant decisions. First thing, the board should have never approved the initial design and said it would be built at the High School. The design is nice, but it is over the top on wants and price. The board knew that but they wanted to "appease" the families and supporters of the 10 Foundation by throwing them a bone to shut them up. The board didn't exhaust every alternative, their attorney did what she was told and found them excuses. One blaring exception, she must not know the district she is paid to represent very well. The district does have a place to put a Memorial, the NE Corner of Hwy. 6 and Warpath, next to the Old Gym. The land was formerly used as a school campus, the land does have improvements of historical significance, and it is no longer needed for educational purposes. The Old Gym was recently restored to close to original with citizen and corporate donations and labor. The ISD allowed this, now they are trying to get out of an agreement in principle on the Memorial. Next, the proposed 4.08 acres next to the City Park has no access unless walking the length of Joe Tambrella Park. That property is divided by a large drainage canal that takes up close to an acre of land. They have maybe 2.5 acres inside the actual park, and roughly a 1/2 acre on 6th St, west of Warpath. The thought of having theses families walk through playing kids on the playground and basketball court to remember the lost lives of their relatives is extremely callous. Next, the daily reminder of May 18th because of additional security measures is as dumb an excuse as was "we didn't have a plan until there was an active shooter". We have graduated 4 classes since May 18, 2018, not one student in the High School that day is still enrolled at SFISD. The emotional stress the kids will have seeing that Memorial everyday is nothing compared to what the families of the dead are dealing with daily because of past ISD decisions and the lack of closure a trial would bring. Norman did say one truthful comment in this interview, "there is maintenance and upkeep we have to consider". There it is, the Board does not want to deal with the maintenance and upkeep of the Memorial nor do they want to deal with the 10 Foundation. They would rather pawn it off on the City and wash their hands of the whole ordeal, it's cowardly after what they have already put these families through. I hope the GCDN covers the meeting at which the Board members will present a plan to City Council, it will be a full house. I can promise you there is no support in putting the Memorial in Tambrella Park for the City to take ownership of and maintain. There are options, all 3 factions need to come together and negotiate a solution. The ISD needs to act in good faith on the purchase of another piece of property by the City. The 10 Foundation needs to come to the realization of what they want and what they can afford. They need to concentrate on a respectful, but more streamlined Memorial that is not a stand alone site. The City will be the builder and maintain the Memorial within the confines of a new City Park while working with the 10 Foundation. If all 3 sides cannot come to an agreement, then put the idea of the Memorial to the voters of the ISD for a final outcome. Honestly, this should not be a City issue, this is an SFISD issue. Those teachers and kids were not killed in a City Park, they were killed in a classroom, inside the High School during school hours. Guess who was President of the School Board on May 18, 2018, Rusty Norman. I have never heard any acceptance of fault for the shooting from the ISD, just excuse after excuse. Now this latest drama, it is predictable this announcement came after filing deadlines closed for School Board elections. Anyone that wonders why SFISD can't pass a bond and have now almost cemented a 3rd failed bond under this school board needs to look no further. The majority of citizens in Santa Fe have no confidence in the School Board or their ability to govern fairly, this situation has worsened that sentiment. My suggestion is for the ISD and the 10 Foundation to work together and build the Memorial next to the Old Gym on Warpath & Hwy 6. Then fire the attorney that didn't do her homework, the School Board has enough lap dogs, another is unneeded. rs
Russell W. Schroeder
Santa Fe High Class of 1984
[thumbup]
"The school district and the Santa Fe Ten Memorial Foundation still must reach an agreement on building the memorial, which will be taken up at a future school board meeting, Santa Fe ISD school board President Rusty Norman said. " GCDN Jun 16, 2020
https://www.galvnews.com/news/article_d2bd9909-c1dc-5d48-87c2-2f6edf6c2eaa.html
The concept and design was approved by the board. The location was not. The location was suggested by the Santa Fe Ten Memorial Foundation.
There are enough current SFHS students who do not the memorial in front of the school as the Foundation suggested. "Visitors will enter the memorial through a meditative grove, according to plans." GCDN Jun 16, 2020. This would create a campus security problem unless a prison type perimeter fence is built. That would not be a good look for the school nor the students.
Think about it. A "meditative grove" next to a busy Highway 6 with car traffic, 18-wheelers and emergency vehicles with sirens going. Add to that the noise from the BNSF railroad on the south side of Highway 6. Now the school itself is built to muffle these sounds but a "meditative grove" in the proposed location cannot. The proposed location in front of the high school should be reconsidered by the Santa Fe Ten Memorial Foundation.
The sign should have never been placed there. They should have suggested putting it behing the baseball field at the end of the dead end road behind the HS. Now they are saying it cannot go anywhere on the campus because of State Law. Put it next to the Old Gym, fits all the guidelines. I will tell you this, as member of the Park's Board I won't support it at Joe Tambrella Park. The votes aren't there on City council to approve it there either. This was just a bad example of putting the cart before the horse by the School Board, plain and simple. Now they have a mess on their hands, again.
How much does it really matter what the current students think about the memorial? They will be gone in 4 years at most, and I don't think any of them are paying school property taxes. Your last sentence Carlos, come on Man. This nonsense doesn't look good for the school, the killing of 10 people is what created it. You can put lipstick on a pig, never will erase the fact 10 lives were lost on the morning of May 18, 2018 in Santa Fe High School.
"How much does it really matter what the current students think about the memorial?"
Current students come first.
And the prison-style security perimeter fencing is not a good look but will be necessary in that proposed location. Does Rusty really think it does look good?
We have had this discussion before, Hitchcock graduate am I correct? You also have keys to a building next door to what I am proposing correct? You are not a resident of the City of Santa Fe correct? Keep your liberal verbage for your own followers, "prison-style security perimeter fencing" is not needed. If so, probably should have surrounded the High School with it when it was built according to your desription. Does Carlos believe the City should just take this Memorial over and spend taxpayer $$ doing so? Of course he does, even though there aren't votes for it to happen. There is no way the City Council members will vote for a tax increase for this Memorial, not going to happen. If that spot isn't good enough for a 10 Memorial, maybe we ought to move that museum out of the old Administration Bldg. [wink]
"Hitchcock graduate am I correct? " WRONG!
Santa Fe Class of 1973.
I will have to agree with Rusty Schroeder on this one. This is not an issue for the City of Santa Fe to solve. The school board needs to come up with a solution for this group. Pushing them down the street to another taxing jurisdiction does not seem right. Asking the city to come up with a solution makes about as much sense asking the water district, or even the drainage district to offer up a piece of property. This is a school district issue and they need to solve it.
So Ted would also object to placing the memorial in Runge Park after the County turns it over to the city.
Using Ted's logic the Veterans Memorial at Runge Park should have been left up to the United States Government, not the County.
Quit being weird Carlos. It’s your logic that’s flawed. Not of all the victims of the school shooting were citizens of the city of Santa Fe, but I assume that all of the veterans honored in a memorial at Runge Park would have been citizens of Galveston County.
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