Board of Trustees votes to move YWLA to Washington STEM Academy

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - In a meeting tonight, the Midland Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 4-3 to move Young Women’s Leadership Academy to the Booker T. Washington Elementary STEM Academy.

The relocation of the YWLA has been a controversial question over the past year. Community members flooded MISD meetings to voice opposition to the move that some saw as getting rid of a key component of the Midland minority community.

YWLA will move into Washington for the 2022-23 school year. Current Washington students will apply to attend other schools.

“What we saw tonight was the schoolboard place the needs of one group over the other,” said Midland resident Courtney Ratliff.

The measure passed by a 4-3 vote, narrowly edging the option of keeping the YWLA at its current location and adding new portables.

Throughout the 4.5-hour meeting, person after person spoke in support of Washington.

“I’m hurt for those kids,” Ratliff said. “I’m hurt for the community that sees Washington Elementary as their home, as how they started, as how they began their education.”