A Message form the Williams-Borden Neighborhood Association...
You may have read that GISD is selling the LA Morgan school property. WBNA advocates for any development of the Morgan property that preserves the nature of our historic residential neighborhood, whether that be a Juneteenth museum or workforce housing. We support these groups that are working to maintain and improve the quality of life in our neighborhood and honor the legacy of Dr. Leon Augustus Morgan.
GISD trustees vote unanimously to sell L.A. Morgan property to Build Galveston
6/4/2025
School board members on Wednesday unanimously voted to accept a $2.8 million bid from Build Galveston for the L.A. Morgan Elementary surplus property.
Trustees in the Wednesday night special meeting told a packed Lovenberg Administration Building, 3904 Avenue T, the school board must prioritize its students and staff and deliver much-needed funds to the school district.
“Our job here is to educate the children and, to do so, we need funds,” Board President Tony Brown said. “We need resources.”
READ MORE...
Guest commentary: All Galveston's L.A. Morgan Project wants is a fair deal
April 15, 2025
Our community has come together to take an opportunity to create something special here in Galveston. This project would preserve the last school named to honor an African-American and to preserve the legacy of Leon Augustus Morgan The L.A. Morgan school would also house a Juneteenth museum that would highlight the national holiday of the Juneteenth celebration.
Galveston ISD discloses some details of L.A. Morgan bids
3/26/2025
School board members will decide between a bid from a nonprofit with plans for workforce housing, or a proposal from a neighborhood-based group for a Juneteenth museum, park and other community facilities when they vote on the future of the 4.5 acres at 1421 37th St. next month.
Project Rosenberg Bid Accepted:
2/19/2025
At the February 19, 2025 meeting of the Galveston Island Independent School District, Project Rosenberg’s $2+ million bid for the Rosenberg Elementary School/Property was accepted. As part of the agreement, Project Rosenberg was given until July 1, 2025 to collect the $$$ pledges made by over 100 contributors and submit final payment.
You can view the lengthy GISD discussions here…
CLICK HERE for the GDN article on the meeting...
L.A. Morgan Update...
2/13/2025
A neighborhood effort to buy surplus property at the former L.A. Morgan Elementary School campus and develop a Juneteenth Museum is in jeopardy after city officials postponed deliberating a motion of support for the initiative, neighborhood leaders said.
Important Meetings Scheduled:
1/25/2025
The future of L.A. Morgan School (1410 37th Street) will be the topic of 2 VERY IMPORTANT meetings – slated for January 30th and February 4th. Meeting organizers include the Williams-Borden Neighborhood Assoc, the Old Central Carver Park Neighborhood Association, the Kempner Park Neighborhood Association, and Vision Galveston.
We encourage ALL to attend!
Community Meeting on L.A. Morgan School:
1/30/2025
The first of 2 meetings, hosted by Vision Galveston, was held at the L.A. Morgan School. There were a variety of presentations and discussion regarding the future of the property. No specific details were presented but Vision Galveston provided an opportunity to share ideas and opinions. The Next meeting will be on February 4th at the Historic Water/Electric Community Center.
LA Morgan School/Property UPDATE:
1/14/2025
At a recent GISD Board meeting, a 2-month extension was granted for the submission of bids for the sale of the LA Morgan school/property. The timeline is as follows:
1. January 22, 2025 – the original date for bid submission
2. March 17, 2025 – the extended date for bid submission
3. The first 21 days would be reserved for bids offered by alternative educational entities (charter schools, faith-based schools, etc.)
4. Open bids would be accepted after that date.
Town Hall Meetings:
A series of Town Hall Meeting to discuss proposals for the LA Morgan school/property. These meetings will be held at The Historic Galveston Water and Electric Light Community Center, located at 715 30th Street. Meetings are currently schedules for January 30th, February 4th and February 15th.
L.A. Morgan UPDATE:
12/20/2024
The GISD School Board of Trustees met on Wednesday – December 18th to discuss, among other items, the possible deadline extension for the sale of the L.A. Morgan School/property. You can watch the presentations HERE made by Steve McAleavy, WBNA President, along with various members of the community, requesting additional time to consider options for this transaction.
Video comments available from 25:20 – 45:30 on the timeline.
The Board then met in closed, executive session to discuss this issue. No resolution was presented at the follow-up meeting.
The meeting was also covered by the Galveston Daily News. CLICK HERE for the article by Lauren Frick, as well as the 12/21 GDN Editorial.
11/23/2024
SUMMARY: WBNA Meeting to Discuss the Future of LA Morgan School
The SPECIAL Saturday – November 23rd meeting of the of the Williams-Borden Neighborhood Association resulted in an excellent exchange of information regarding the future of the LA Morgan School/property.
The meeting began with an overview of the current situation, with special emphasis on collecting existing information and the development of an action plan. Three individuals that have actively been involved with this issue provided meaningful insights and potential options for LAM.
Tom Singleton, WBNA resident/advocate presented potential options for development, as well ideas on determining the future of LA Morgan School.
Shon Arthur, President of the Old Central Carver Park Neighborhood Association presented their well-documented plan for a Cultural Center within the existing LA Morgan School. The plan focused on preserving the existing facility to accommodate future needs within the community.
Christine Bryant, Chief Executive Officer of Vision Galveston, presented their thoughts on a potential plan for the development of workforce housing on the LAM site. The plan would represent a starting point for community involvement in determining the future of LAM .
Following these presentations, several meeting attendees offered thoughts, ideas and suggestions on additional possibilities for the use of the LA Morgan School/property. These comments were added to the list of options for future discussion.
ACTION PLAN: Based on all input from these groups, a course of action, with specific actionable items, was established:
Form a citizen committee to gather information and update/inform residents regarding the liquidation of LA Morgan
Four representatives will meet with Mayor Craig Brown on .Monday November 25th. Results will be posted on the WBNA Newsletter and website www.wbnagalveston.com
Work towards obtaining an extension to the January 22nd deadline which authorizes GISD to implement the process of disposing the LA Morgan property
The proposal will be discussed at the GISD Board Meeting on December 18. Residents are encouraged to attend this meeting and may present comments to the Board.
WBNA will conduct a community survey to gather ideas regarding the potential use of the LA Morgan property
An online survey will be sent to residents to determine potential uses for the property. This data will be presented to the GISD Board of Trustees to assist in determining the future of the LAM School/property.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
CLICK HERE for additional information that was distributed at the meeting.
GALVESTON DAILY NEWS ARTICLES
Covering the Sale and Liquidation of the L.A. Morgan School & Property
This issue continues to be extensively covered in the Galveston Daily News. Following is a list of the most recent articles appearing in the paper:
October 16, 2024
Galveston trustees vote to declare L.A. Morgan Elementary surplus property
https://www.galvnews.com/news/galveston-trustees-vote-to-declare-l-a-morgan-elementary-surplus-property/article_f7ba3642-1775-5432-b347-8cf5bc7c8227.htm
November 26, 2024
Galveston group forms to buy former school, extend East-End park
December 10, 2024
Galveston group wants more time to buy Rosenberg Elementary
December 21, 2024 - Editorial
Galveston school board faces hard decision on surplus property
https://www.galvnews.com/opinion/editorials/galveston-school-board-faces-hard-decision-on-surplus-property/article_ff9cd0cb-59c6-50a6-9582-ef3abb5be92d.html
February 4, 2025
Group seeking Rosenberg school land can apply for $125K in public money
February 11, 2025
UTMB foundation bids $2.2 million for Galveston school land
February 11, 2025
Guest commentary: Our offer for Rosenberg land is more than the money
February 13, 2025
L.A. Morgan Juneteenth museum effort at risk, leaders said
February 13, 2025
Sealy & Smith bid for Rosenberg land best serves public good - Editorial
February 20, 2025
Galveston school board awards Rosenberg property to neighborhood group
February 21, 2025
Split school board sides with neighborhood group for Rosenberg site
February 26, 2025
Guest commentary: Let's unite to fund Project Rosenberg's park plan
February 28, 2025
Galveston council supports L.A. Morgan museum plan
April 5, 2025
Galveston ISD board must give neighbors chance to buy L.A. Morgan land
April 5, 2025
Guest commentary: Galveston ISD must scrap L.A. Morgan bid over trustee's meddling
https://www.galvnews.com/opinion/guest_columns/guest-commentary-galveston-isd-must-scrap-l-a-morgan-bid-over-trustees-meddling/article_e14c3cea-d5ba-5cec-a9f7-0dcf8c2da5d0.html
April 15, 2025
Guest commentary: Galveston's L.A. Morgan land is perfect for workforce housing