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CAN YOU GRADUATE FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD?
Jim Hitzelberger reflects on a dozen years of service to HPISD
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By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
In 12 years as a trustee, former school board president Jim Hitzelberger helped see Highland Park ISD through two bond elections plus facilities overhauls, rezoning, the opening of a fifth elementary school, and a global pandemic.
Maybe, as a result, leaving the board feels like a graduation.
During commencement, Hitzelberger told Highland Park High School Class of 2021 members how they were finishing kindergarten when he was first elected. “And so, I kind of feel like I’ve kind of gone through this journey with you,” he said.
The $361.4 million bond program voters approved in 2015 built the district’s first new elementary school since 1948, rebuilt University Park, Bradfield, and Hyer elementary schools, and renovated Armstrong Elementary, McCulloch Intermediate, Highland Park Middle School, and Highland Park High School.
“Without a doubt, I would have to say that I am most proud of the many community members, HPISD staff, architects, and
Former president of the Highland Park ISD board of trustees Jim Hitzelberger addressed the Highland Park High School class of 2021 during commencement May 28.
(PHOTOS: COURTESY PHOTO, RACHEL SNYDER)
fellow trustees that had the vision and desire to plan and execute the 2015 bond,” Hitzelberger said. “Being a small part of that journey was remarkable.”
His service also has come with contentious debates.
“We get a bad rap, no matter who is on the board, of ‘rubber stamping’ the administration’s decisions,” he said. “That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Without getting into specifics, in my 12 years, we had disagreements on facilities, finance, instructional
Without a doubt, I would have to say that I am most proud of the many community members, HPISD staff, architects, and fellow trustees that had the vision and desire to plan and execute the 2015 bond. Jim Hitzelberger
materials, rezoning, just to name a few. All trustees bring unique talents and perspectives to the table.”
On July 3, Hitzelberger and his wife, Laurie, will ride as grand marshals in the Rotary Club of Park Cities Fourth of July Parade, taking a journey postponed a year when the pandemic canceled last year’s affair.
She also served the district, including as the only principal in HPISD history to lead two schools simultaneously, McCulloch Intermediate and Highland Park Middle.
Perhaps through his service, Jim Hitzelberger said he has better understood the influence his parents’ contributions had on him.
His mother, Barbara Hitzelberger, still the only woman to serve as a mayor of University Park, worked with the Junior League, La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas, and other organizations.
“We just grew up seeing our parents serve others,” he said. “It was just something that was routine at our house, as it is in many homes in our community, and it wasn’t until later in my life that I realized the amount of work ethic and commitment they had to do all they did while working and raising a family.”
Stumped! Neighbors decry removal of Colgate Avenue trees
By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
The removal of 13 trees lining Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church’s west parking lot facing Colgate Avenue has upset some nearby residents.
“They were protected trees,” complained Preston Whisenant, who called them “an important buffer between” homes and nonresidential activities.
With work ready to begin on a Preston Center mixed-use development on churchowned land, crews removed the trees from city-owned land in May.
Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church removed 13 trees lining its west parking lot
facing Colgate Avenue. (PHOTO: RACHEL SNYDER)
“We want the church to admit they were wrong, and we need them to commit to replacing the (trees) that were removed,” Whisenant said.
However, a church spokesperson said a certified arborist told church leaders that February’s winter storm irreparably damaged the trees planted by the church two decades ago.
“We were deeply saddened by this assessment,” said Melodie Elliott of Sunwest Communications. “We are thankful that the older, more mature Live Oaks on the east portion of Colgate survived.”
The church also has consulted with the city of Dallas, Elliott added. “We are working towards an appropriate resolution to the sad loss of these beloved trees.”
Whisenant informed Dallas City Council member Jennifer Gates’ office, before she left office, that the trees didn’t appear to be dead.
He also inquired about whether their removal complied with city code.
Gates’ office provided an update from the city arborist Preston Willms, who described the trees’ removal as unauthorized.
“We are holding the property owner responsible for full tree mitigation for the loss of the trees,” Willms said in a memo. “If they cannot prove their case for removal by natural death or decline, then we will require the replacement of inches of trees removed by planting and/or by payment in lieu of planting.”
The city will want to resolve the issue before building permits are issued, and tree replacement would require careful scheduling, he said. “We need to assure any trees installed in the location are not damaged from construction activity.”
