Stafford Municipal School District

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Stafford Municipal School District. Now settle in, because this one's got more twists than a Hill Country two-lane, and it ends right where you'd want it to. The city of Stafford, or Stafford's Point as some called it, was settled by William Stafford in the early 1820s.

And folks out there on that Texas frontier wasted no time. The settlers organized a place for their children to go to school, and by the 1830s, they had themselves a one-room schoolhouse with ten students attending. Ten kids, one room.

That's it. That's the whole operation. Later on, classes moved to the local blacksmith shop.

Which, if you think about it, is about as Texas a classroom as you're ever going to find. Then in 1895, the first official school was built on Louisiana Street in Missouri City, seven grades, one teacher. One teacher for seven grades.

That person deserved considerably more than whatever they were paid. Students from Stafford, Missouri City, and the surrounding areas attended what became the Missouri City School District, formally organized in 1938. Then in 1959, that district and the Sugar Land School District consolidated to form the Fort Bend Independent School District, FBISD for short.

Now here's where the story gets interesting. In 1976, FBISD made a decision to reduce bus transportation for schoolchildren. The Stafford City Council looked at that decision, looked at each other, and started thinking about something that is, and the marker uses this word deliberately, an extremely rare occurrence.

They started thinking about separating from FBISD entirely to create their own municipal school district. As required, Stafford citizens put together a petition, presented it to the mayor and City Council, and called for an election. The election was held.

And on January 15, 1977, the vote was approved. The State of Texas Commissioner of Education investigated the matter and upheld that vote. But FBISD wasn't done.

They appealed the decision to the Federal District Court, and a judge there ruled in favor of FBISD. It looked like Stafford's bid might be finished. Then came July 30, 1981.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting in New Orleans, ruled that the Stafford Municipal School District was constitutional. Four years of courts and appeals, and Stafford had won. Work quickly began.

On August 26, 1982, SMSD opened its doors for kindergarten through fifth grade. The following year, sixth through eleventh grades were added. And in May of 1985, the Stafford Municipal School District had its first graduating class.

From a one-room schoolhouse with ten students, to a blacksmith shop, to a courtroom in New Orleans, to a graduating class of their own. Stafford played the long game, and they played it all the way to the end.

What the marker says

The city of Stafford, or Stafford's point, was settled by William Stafford in the early 1820s. The settlers organized a place for their children to go to school, and by the 1830s, a one-room school was available with ten students attending. Later, classes were held in the local blacksmith shop. In 1895, the first official school was built on Louisiana Street in Missouri City with seven grades and one teacher. Students from Stafford, Missouri City and surrounding areas attended the Missouri City School District which was formally organized in 1938. In 1959, the Missouri City School District and Sugar Land School District consolidated to form the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD). In 1976, a FBISD decision to reduce bus transportation for schoolchildren prompted the Stafford City Council to consider separating from the district to create a municipal school district, an extremely rare occurrence. As required, Stafford citizens presented a petition to the mayor and City Council calling for an election to form a municipal school district. The election was held, and the vote was approved on January 15, 1977. The State of Texas Commissioner of Education investigated and upheld the vote. FBISD appealed the decision to the Federal District Court where a judge ruled in favor of FBISD. On July 30, 1981, the Fifth Circuit Court of appeals in New Orleans ruled that Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD) was constitutional. Work quickly began to establish an exceptional educational environment for Stafford. on August 26, 1982, SMSD started grades kindergarten through 5th and the next year added 6th through 11th grades. SMSD had its first graduating class in May 1985.