Carranza praises HISD … faintly?
Superintendent voices concern he was not given pact extension
Outgoing Houston ISD Superintendent Richard Carranza said the chance to lead America’s largest school district — and not frustration with the local school board or state leaders — prompted his decision this week to leave the district after 18 months on the job.
Two days after he stunned the Houston community with the announcement he was leaving to become chancellor of New York City schools, Carranza expressed optimism about the district’s future and lauded the school board. But in his first public comments since returning from New York, he also alluded to a
disconnect with trustees over his prospects for receiving an extension on his three-year contract, which expires in August 2019.
“There’s been no indication that my contract was going to be extended, so I have a family as well and I have responsibilities as well,” Carranza said, though he declined to say whether he requested an extension.
“Let’s just say it’s not uncommon for boards to extend contracts before they actually expire,” he said.
Will earn same pay
Carranza’s contract status has not been a point of contention publicly, and board members have given no indication that they were dissatisfied with Carranza’s performance.
In a text message, Houston ISD school board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones noted that Carranza’s contract had more than a year remaining and three new trustees were seated on the nine-person board in January. She declined to comment on whether Carranza requested an extension, saying it was a personnel matter.
Carranza will earn the same base salary in New York City — $345,000 — as he did in Houston.
“I’ve always wanted to have as big an impact as I could,” Carranza said. “It’s an opportunity that we just don’t get many times in a lifetime. It’s not that I’m running from anything in HISD.”
Carranza’s end date hasn’t been set, but he’s expected to step down in the next couple weeks. Trustees are expected to meet in closed session at 2 p.m. Thursday to discuss a possible interim superintendent appointment, followed by a 5 p.m. public meeting.
The break-up has “not been contentious” with school board members, Carranza said, but trustees have asked him not to attend Thursday’s public meeting.
“We have gotten angry emails regarding Carranza’s abrupt departure,” Skillern-Jones wrote in a text message. “We have to conduct the business of the district and would rather that not become a distraction.”
District faces deficit
Carranza’s abrupt departure comes as HISD tackles academic, financial and community challenges that have stirred parents, teachers and taxpayers.
HISD faces a projected $115 million budget deficit, largely because of money owed the state under a “recapture” formula that shifts money from property-wealthy districts to poorer ones.
The district also faces the possibility of forced campus closures or a state takeover of the district’s school board in August because of its failure to improve chronically underperforming campuses. Carranza’s administration is also in the midst of changing the district’s magnet school system and overhauling its campus finance model — proposals that have prompted outcry from various corners of the district.
“There’s never a good time for leadership change,” Carranza said. “I understand how folks may be concerned about that.”
Carranza said he was not seeking an early exit from HISD, recounting that officials from New York City initiated contact about the job there in recent weeks.
When asked twice Wednesday about any contact he had with representatives from the Los Angeles Unified and Clark County (Las Vegas) school districts, both of which are larger than HISD and seeking new superintendents, Carranza twice replied, “I get phone calls all the time about searches.”
Carranza said he believes his administration has helped restore more trust in the district, provide support to lower-performing schools and tackle longstanding issues of equity, among other accomplishments.
“I think we’ve changed the culture so it’s much more transparent what we’re trying to accomplish here,” Carranza said. “And quite frankly, I’m honored that people are paying so much attention to the fact I’m leaving, because that must mean they believe we’re doing something right.”
Mayor’s reaction
HISD trustees and city leaders, who learned of Carranza’s dalliance with New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio just hours before he accepted the job Monday, have been largely magnanimous about Carranza’s decision. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday that he preferred Carranza gave him more advance notice, but he added, “I’m not angry. People come and go.”
Turner said he’s prepared to take on a larger role with HISD following Carranza’s departure. He plans to meet Thursday with Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, whom he’ll lobby for a one-year break in state accountability ratings due to Hurricane Harvey. The reprieve could give HISD an extra year to improve performance at its lowest-performing campuses, helping the district stave off severe state sanctions.
“I am prepared to be very involved in the process,” Turner said Wednesday during a press conference. “The city cannot advance at the level that it should if the school district is going in a different direction.”