Last updated: August 11th, 2019
WHEN: Friday, March 1st, after Isha (7:45 PM)
WHERE: Main prayer hall
WHAT: Townhall Meeting to discuss the Houston Peace Academy school move
Houston Peace Academy (HPA) is an Islamic school that operates in the premises of Masjid AlSalam, under the umbrella of Islamic Education Institute of Texas (IEIT), an ISGH initiative to serve the children of the Muslim community in the greater Houston area. The HPA board has reached out to the administration of Masjid AlSalam to seek their approval to relocate the school to a new location that is substantially larger and purpose-built as a school.
We would like to summarize the key points from their proposal for the benefit of the community, and seek its feedback in an upcoming Town hall meeting.
- HPA was started in 2010 with 12 Pre K Students in a trailer, and grew to 145 students from Pre-School to 6th Grade and a staff of 24 employees.
- HPA serves students from Klein, Cypress Fairbanks, Tomball, and Spring ISD’s and currently has a waiting list of over 50 students.
Current Challenges:
Limited Space
- Classrooms needed at first floor to accommodate growing lower grades (Pre school to 2nd grade), as per Fire code they cannot be in second floor
- Classes in second floor are small with capacity of 12 students
- 1 bathroom upstairs, that doubles as Janitor closet
Security Concerns
- Facilities are dispersed, lock-down in emergency is not possible
- Upstairs classrooms are not physically separated and accessible to anyone that enters the masjid
SEF Proposal
- HPA has been approached by an education-based non-profit organization called Spring Educational Foundation (SEF) to operate under them instead of IEIT. SEF was formed by members of the Spring Muslim community.
- SEF has signed the Lease to Purchase agreement for the school located in Paradise Farms (PF).
- Paradise Farms is a proposed 42-acre master planned community in Spring, Texas, located at the intersection of FM 2920 and Gosling. The development will feature a multipurpose hall and mosque; single family homes and town-homes as well as commercial areas.
- Paradise Farms development already includes a completed school building. The school is almost 60,000 square feet; fully furnished and equipped with modern learning tools, computer and science labs, recreational amenities, sports fields and infrastructure to build more class rooms in future.
- The school at PF is located about 15-20 minutes drive from Masjid AlSalam.
- Comparison of the two current options:
- Projected Growth is as shown below, subject to the following assumptions:
- An Increase in average tuition & fees/student from $ 5640 in 2018/19 to $ 6,200 in 2019/20
- An annual 5% increase in the average annual tuition & fees /student
- A 4% annual increase in wages and payroll expenses
- 20% revenue loss due to sibling/staff discounts and financial aid
- $200K annual facilities expenses
Areas of Possible Concern?
- Distance to the new school as compared to the current location
- Move’s impact on tuition increases?
- School administration will be under a separate organization, no longer beholden to ISGH or its elected officers as well as members
- Long term financial viability?
