Kinder won’t make HSPVA change name
HISD released from disputed obligation tied to $7.5M gift
A fight over naming rights to Houston ISD’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts ends as the Kinder Foundation drops the obligation as part of its $7.5 million gift to the school after uproar from board members, alumni and parents.
When the Kinder Foundation donated $7.5 million to Houston ISD’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts last year, it came with what turned out to be a controversial provision: requiring the Kinder name to be added to the prestigious magnet school.
The demand caused a rift among school board members, alumni and parents, some of whom argued school names should not be for sale. They suggested that part of the school, like a stage or auditorium, be renamed for the Kinders.
This week, however, the Kinder Foundation issued a statement releasing the Houston ISD from the naming obligation in hopes of dispelling any ongoing disruptions.
Richard Kinder, a former Enron executive and co-founder of Kinder Morgan, said the naming controversy has taken away from the underlying meaning behind the donation, according to a letter from the foundation obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
“It was not the primary reason for our gift,” Kinder wrote. “We have contributed to HSPVA since 2008 and will always remain supporters.”
Kinder added that the foundation made the donation to ensure
the school performed with the highest standards. The campus, founded in 1971, is one of the first public high schools to integrate academics with concentrations in both performing and visual arts. Notable HSPVA alumni include superstar Beyoncé and jazz pianist Jason Moran.
Their move, however, has only rekindled the fight from HSPVA Friends, a nonprofit that helped secure the multimillion-dollar donation.
Gift funds new campus
HSPVA Friends wants HISD to fulfill its promise to protect future publicprivate partnerships. The Kinder Foundation’s $7.5 million donation was made in early October 2016 after HSPVA Friends announced the launch of a $10 million capital campaign to ensure that the new downtown campus opens with state-of-the-art learning facilities. Construction is underway with about $3 million already cashed.
“The Kinder Foundation has supported HSPVA and HSPVA Friends for many years. In 2016, when the school needed a donor to quickly fund this arts magnet school, the Foundation stepped up. ‘Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts’ is reflective of our longtime and future partnership and in keeping with the agreement with HISD,” said Bob Boblitt, HSPVA Friends Board chairman.
The HISD Board of Education has not yet had a chance to discuss the issue or whether it will follow through on its original commitment, according to a district spokeswoman. The next schedule school board meeting is May 11.
Faith Boninger, a researcher at the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies commercialism in schools, told the Houston Chronicle in October that public school districts enter a “slippery slope” if they begin selling naming rights.
The Kinder’s gift was praised by district leaders, who focused on the importance of the donation and the impact it would have on students. However, when it came time to for the HISD board to vote on the name change, the controversy became public.
Message to students
Residents packed a school board meeting to say that selling a school’s name could be damaging to the historical significance of a school and the message “selling out” sends to students.
Those rejecting the name change said that the foundation gave the district and the public little time to negotiate or discuss the development, leaving board members to make a quick decision to take or leave the money on the table.
Selling naming rights for college buildings and high school athletic facilities has become increasingly common nationwide, but the trend hasn’t typically included putting donors’ names on public elementary and secondary schools.
“What happens when McDonald’s or Coca-Cola decides to donate $7.5 million? Do they get a school?” Boninger said. “I’m afraid we’re getting away from considering education a public good that we need to fund as a society.”
Soon an online petition was created to fight the renaming.
As of Thursday, the petition had 860 signatures. Once Kinder announced that it would no longer require a name change, the petition organizers celebrated with a headline that Kinder finally “caved.” The headline was changed shortly after.