Louisa Meyer (Photo by Rasy Ran)
W.T. White’s biggest advocates don’t have children in school. Why do they care?
The 50th anniversary commemoration isn’t until 2020, but Louisa Meyer already made the save the dates. They aren’t for a wedding or an institution, and she isn’t even celebrating for that matter.
The anniversary is for W.T. White High School Portable Classroom No. 033. Nearly 50 years ago, Dallas ISD placed it behind the campus to temporarily relieve the overcrowded school. It’s still there, however, and one of 32 portable classrooms waiting to be replaced.
Meyer is part of the W.T. White community that rallied this past year to argue for more funding and swifter action to relieve the high school’s overcrowding and update its 50-year-old campus. W.T. White and its feeder schools are somewhat unique in DISD to draw this kind of grassroots advocacy.
What makes it even more unique is that the loudest voices in this effort, Meyer among them, are not recent graduates or staff members. They don’t even have children at the school, although they are parents.
The ones who attended DISD board meetings and analyzed data, who established the Renovate W.T. White Facebook Page and petitioned the administration, aren’t directly impacted by district policy. Their children already attend college or have started their careers. That hasn’t made them care any less, though.
“The gist of it, to me, is we ended up loving the schools, and because of that, we got involved,” says Lee Higginbotham, who founded the Dads Clubs at Marsh Preparatory Academy and W.T. White. His wife, Melissa, runs DallasKidsFirst, an organization that monitors school board policies and supports candidates they deem qualified during the election.
To raise awareness about school overcrowding, W.T. White advocate Louisa Meyer is planning the 50th anniversary of a portable classroom, a full three years before the event. (Photo by Rasy Ran)
Roughly two dozen former W.T. White parents advocate for the school district and the high school in some capacity, whether it’s serving on a committee or simply volunteering in the feeder pattern.
“I think their common thread is their kids went to DISD, their kids got a really solid education and went on to solid colleges and universities,” says North Dallas DISD trustee Edwin Flores. “We have all been in a room where we mention we sent our kids to Dallas public schools, and someone gives us a look like we have horns and fangs, and Child Protective Services should be called because we’re awful parents.”
Meyer’s sons graduated from W.T. White in 2006 and 2010, and to say she’s remained involved in DISD is an understatement.
“This is my community,” she says. “This is my family. These are the people I love being with.”
Meyer is a member of W.T. White’s committee that advises the principal and launched the “I Will Graduate” campaign to give every DISD student a T-shirt with their future graduation date — all in addition to working on Portable No. 033’s anniversary.
If all goes well, the commemoration may be canceled. Sixteen of the portables are being removed this June when the construction of a 30-classroom wing is completed. W.T. White and other North Dallas schools will receive additional construction updates sooner than initially scheduled because of the community’s determination, Flores says.
“It’s because they’re effective, they stick to it.”
Influencing policy isn’t the only factor that has motivated former parents to stick around. They form connections with the students, something that’s been hard for Cathy Hodge to shake. She is W.T. White’s senior liaison overseeing student activities, but she first was introduced to the school in the late 1990s when her children enrolled there.
Kim Painter and Marja Woods drive 7 miles from Carrollton to the high school to volunteer, even though they’re empty-nesters.
“After now having kids in high school, maybe I have something to offer after this experience,” Painter says.
Chuck Stewart started roaming W.T. White’s stands with a camera because he was a terrible fan. Photography is the Dallas Morning News multi-platform editor’s hobby, and snapping photos was an effective tactic to keep him from ostracizing the referees. Seeing so many athletes without parents in attendance bothered him, so he started to dole out his work to the students as mementos.
“It’s heartbreaking to see these kids in the game without anybody in the stands,” Stewart says. “I’m trying to be a bonus dad and be there for the kids.”
The teens who may not have someone to advocate for them makes their efforts worth it, and it only benefits the community, several say.
“I always felt parent involvement made a huge difference, no matter where you went,” Painter says.
