Morath, TEA need to honor HISD election results
As former Houston Independent School District educators, a product of HISD and a parent in HISD, we are personally familiar with the inequity and mediocrity that plagues large portions of the seventh-largest school district in the United States. We have experienced the average or below-average schools that hover just above “improvement required” status. We resigned or put our jobs on hold and spent the last few months in 100-degree weather walking door to door in Districts III and VIII in the East End. Our aim was to give our communities the voice and policy changes to make our schools excellent. Again and again, we heard we were the only candidates who had come to meet them in their homes. We did the work. It paid off. In Districts III and VIII, we have a clear mandate for change by winning 64 percent of the vote over the incumbent trustees. The people liked our message and spoke with their votes for change. Democracy worked!
We won with a decisive mandate, though the victory was bittersweet. Within hours, rumors of a Texas Education Agency takeover came true. TEA announced it would be replacing the elected trustees with an appointed board of managers. Many were shocked by TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s timing. The announcement came with a call for those interested in serving on the new board to apply online. Hadn’t Houston spoken on election day? Clearly, Districts III and VIII not only have “interested applicants,” they had just elected trustees who weren’t part of the problematic HISD board. We demonstrated our interest months ago when we filed for election and put our lives on hold to be the change we need.
In Districts III and VIII, we empowered voters to change the face of a poorly functioning school board. No board of managers applicant will have worked to be as familiar with the needs of our community as we are. No applicant will have had the personal conversations we just had in our marginalized community, and no one has gone through the extensive vetting process we have over the course of the election. We understand that House Bill 1842 requires Morath to intervene. Additionally, we are equally concerned about the findings of the TEA investigative report, which further documents why change is essential for the HISD board. We were among those who called for the Texas Legislative Budget Board audit and are well aware of HISD budget problems over the last couple of years. We want to be part of changing budget priorities so that our teachers receive wages that are competitive with neighboring districts and so that school-level funding is restored.
We believe it is essential that the state recognizes the democratic process can work for change and allow us to be appointed to the board of managers so that we can be involved in that process. There is an opportunity for the state to intervene, as required by law, and embrace the wishes of the people. More than 64 percent of voters chose us to represent them to hold HISD accountable. That is the job of an elected trustee. That is our job. We ask Morath and Gov. Greg Abbott to embrace democracy and uphold the voice of the voters and appoint us to serve on the board of managers.