Lawsuit fails to halt school district merger

State appeals court dismisses effort to stop Texas City ISD from annexing La Marque

GALVESTON — A Texas appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to halt the annexation of the La Marque school district by Texas City ISD.

The 3rd Texas Court of Appeals on Friday dismissed the lawsuit, saying that it lacked jurisdiction and that the lower court erred in accepting the case.

“This is the end. It’s done,” said Terry Pettijohn, a member of the deposed La Marque school board that sued to prevent the Texas Education Agency from dissolving the district.

“It’s just hard to understand how a school district that had met TEA standards and was financially solvent could have been closed,” Pettijohn said.

Former Education Commissioner Michael Williams, replaced Jan. 1 by former Dallas ISD trustee Mike Morath, last year ordered La Marque ISD to merge with the Texas City Independent School District as of July 1. State officials said the district had failed to meet its financial marks.

Morath issued a statement saying, “Our primary focus at the Texas Education Agency is ensuring that students in La Marque have access to a highquality education. We continue our work as the transition to Texas City ISD moves forward.”

After Williams announced La Marque’s dissolution, the school board gave attorney Christopher Tritico a $300,000 retainer to fight the annexation. A new board of managers appointed by Williams took over in December and unsuccessfully asked Tritico to halt the lawsuit and refund the retainer.

Members of the elected La Marque school board — who have been stripped of their powers — say Williams failed to give the district credit for the improvements, both financial and academic, made since the previous superintendent was fired in 2013.

Members of the deposed board accused the state education agency of changing the rules after the district filed its financial information earlier this year.