HISD leaders mum on plans ahead of deadline
With 16 days left before Houston ISD must tell the state how it intends to turn around 10 chronically low-performing schools, district leaders remain tight-lipped about their plans and the impact they will have on students and educators.
HISD administrators have recommended temporarily surrendering control over hiring, governance and other operations at all 10 campuses, which would earn HISD a two-year reprieve from sanctions under a new state law known as SB 1882. Without the changes, the Texas Education Agency likely will take over the district’s school board or close campuses under provisions of another new state law.
Administrators continue to work behind closed doors to finalize details of their proposals. To date, HISD leaders have not answered several key questions about the recommended arrangements: Who would assume control over campuses? What changes would a new governing group institute? How long would the agreements last? Will Mayor Sylvester Turner play a role in these plans, as has been speculated?
District leaders originally hoped to present proposals two weeks ago and seek approval for them at Thursday’s board meeting, but neither happened, leaving relatively little time for the public to review forthcoming ideas and offer input.
Under SB 1882, HISD could arrange with a nonprofit, higher education institution or governmental entity to assume control of the campuses. Local
and state education officials frequently have referred to the arrangements, which closely resemble a charter school model, as “partnerships.”
Sedricka Jackson, the parentteacher association president at Worthing High School, one of the 10 campuses, said it is “still really a mystery” what will happen at her son’s school come April 30. She expressed concern that an outside organization will disrupt progress at Worthing under the school’s first-year principal.
“They might do a 180-degree turn. They might try to do a whole other program. We don’t know,” Jackson said. “I can’t imagine how (the district) would get us any of the information we need to do any followup.”
In addition to Worthing, the other schools that risk triggering sanctions are: Blackshear, Dogan, Highland Heights, Mading and Wesley elementary schools; Henry Middle School; Woodson PK-8; and Kashmere and Wheatley high schools.
“We’re still weighing all of our options,” HISD spokesman Tracy Clemons said in response to questions about the district’s timeline for disclosing its plans. He declined further comment.
HISD leaders have not scheduled any meetings to discuss or consider plans for the 10 campuses, though they are expected to do so in the coming days.
However, trustees on Thursday did approve and waive policies that will enable them to quickly vote on partnership proposals in the next two weeks.
District officials spent several weeks holding public meetings at each of the 10 campuses, gathering feedback and tweaking initial recommendations for changes to each school. The Texas Education Agency did not finalize key rules surrounding SB 1882 until late February.
HISD is considering partnerships in response to a law enacted in 2015 known as HB 1842. Under that law, the TEA must replace HISD’s school board or close campuses if a single HISD school receives a fifth consecutive “improvement required” rating for poor academic performance. Each of the 10 HISD schools are at risk of triggering those punishments this year, and district leaders have said it is highly unlikely all 10 will meet state academic standards.
SB 1882 gives HISD an option for avoiding sanctions. Although several HISD trustees have said they do not want to give up control over the district’s campuses, they have suggested it could be a better alternative to losing local control of the school board or shuttering campuses.
“My biggest fear with TEA is that if we don’t at least follow the law to keep us in the fight, they’re going to take us over,” Trustee Jolanda Jones said. “Just because we enter into partnerships does not mean that we cannot fight them.”