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Residents urge Lubbock ISD to work with Arise Ministries for Hajes Elementary; board outlines lengthy legal process
Summary
Public commenters asked Lubbock ISD to allow Arise Ministries to acquire or use Hajes Elementary for community services. Trustees said the district paused demolition because of interest but explained transfers require title work, appraisal, public sale requirements and may take months to years; no sale or donation was approved.
Public commenters told the Lubbock ISD board that Arise Ministries has provided extensive community services and should be allowed to acquire Hajes Elementary for continued local use. At the district’s regular board meeting, Susan Perez said Arise (also referred to at times in the record as Arise Church) operates food pantries, a clothes closet, a widow’s ministry and a program the speaker said feeds more than 800 meals monthly, and she urged the board to “use this tax built school wisely and help Arise Ministries acquire Hajes Elementary and allow this school to continue to be used for good,” citing the church’s outreach and ministries.
The board’s public discussion made clear there was no decision to transfer or donate the building. Trustees and district staff explained that a demolition item was pulled from a prior agenda after the church expressed interest, but that any permanent change of ownership or use must follow legal and administrative steps. The board said the process can include clearing title, locating heirs if a reverter clause exists, appraising fair market value, listing the property for sale and accepting bids that meet appraisal value; if bids fail to meet appraised value, the district can consider donating the building to a public-use organization. The board emphasized that completing those steps can take months or years and that educating students remains the district’s operational priority.
Several other residents reiterated support for Arise and asked the board to expedite transfers where possible. Janie Anderson and Lisa Hes delivered similar appeals and handed the board a packet of signatures from residents backing Arise’s bid to use the facility.
The record shows two distinct threads: residents urging the district to recognize Arise’s neighborhood services, and trustees cautioning that statutory and contract constraints limit how quickly the district can act. The board did not take a vote to transfer or donate the property during the meeting; trustees instead noted the district will continue to engage in the established legal process.
What happens next: The district said staff will continue to investigate title and legal constraints and that any sale, donation or long-term use agreement would require further administrative steps and likely return to the board for formal action.
