HISD decides to search for a new chief
Interim superintendent rejected; questions remain over board’s power amid state battle
Houston ISD trustees voted Thursday against committing to Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan as the district’s long-term leader, opting instead to launch a national search before filling the position.
In a 6-3 vote, trustees generally complimented Lathan’s lengthy tenure as interim, but ultimately concluded the district needs a deeper search for a permanent chief. Some trustees encouraged Lathan to apply for the job during the search, though it is not immediately clear whether she will.
“As the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States, it is of the utmost importance thatwe think about candidates for the permanent superintendent position by going through a transparent and thorough search process,” HISD Trustee Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca said.
“We owe it to our students, our community, our constituents and the taxpayers to do our due diligence.”
HISD trustees did not outline a plan Thursday for conducting their search, though questions remain about whether they can legally engage in the process as the board fights a state takeover.
HISD trustees Judith Cruz, Sue Dei gaard, Dani Hernandez, Elizabeth Santos and Anne Sung joined Flynn Vilaseca in voting to start the search. Lathan did not address the outcome during Thursday’s meeting or immediately respond to a request for comment through the district.
The vote marks another public rebuke of Lathan, who rose from chief academic officer to interim superintendent in March 2018 following the abrupt departure of Richard Carranza.
Several months after assuming the position, five of the board’s nine trustees voted to replace her as interim with no advance warning. Board members ultimately reversed the decision, but the betrayal hovered over
the district.
Trustees also could have moved to name Lathan as permanent superintendent at various points in the following two years. However, Lathan never garnered majority support during that time.
Lathan’s three board supporters — Wanda Adams, Pat Allen and Kathy Blueford-Daniels — said she brought needed stability to the district. They also argued Lathan earned the job by bringing down HISD’s number of low-rated schools and weathering multiple waves of turmoil outside of her control.
Adams, who is leaving the board this month after being elected as a justice of the peace, said the district will not find a better candidate than Lathan.
“Am I shocked? No,” Adams said following the vote to reject Lathan’s candidacy. “Did people keep their word from the beginning, when they first got on this board? No. I just hope and pray that as you all move forward, that you lead with honesty and integrity.”
Lathan enjoyed strong backing from many other HISD administrators, with about 45 of them lauding her leadership amid district instability and the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“This period nowhas been, by far, one of the most difficult I have seen during my tenure,” said Moreno Elementary School Principal Adriana Abarca- Castro, who has led the campus for 31 years. “I have witnessed how our superintendent, Dr. Lathan, has led us courageously, positively and ( been) supportive in every way.”
Many of the city’s Black civic leaders also rallied to support Lathan, with U. S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Reps. Alma Allen and Senfronia Thompson endorsing her Thursday. Lathan would have become the district’s first Black female superintendent if chosen.
However, Lathan’s tenure coincided with scathing state reports documenting extensive operational and special education issues in the district. One of HISD’s longest- struggling campuses, Wheatley High School, also received its seventh straight failing grade in 2019, triggering a state law that resulted in Education Commissioner Mike Morath moving to replace the district’s elected school board.
Some trustees argued HISD should not lock in a superintendent while they continue to fight in court to stop their ouster. The board’s lawsuit against the state is pending before the Texas Supreme Court.
“The TEA lawsuit has huge implications for our choice,” Santos said.
In March 2019, as HISD board members neared the conclusion of their first search for Carranza’s replacement, a state-appointed conservator overseeing the district ordered trustees to indefinitely halt their effort.
A Travis County judge issued a temporary injunction in January declaring the conservator, Doris Delaney, is “prohibited from acting outside her lawful authority.” However, the judge did not clearly state whether that applied retroactively to Delaney’s order.
In response to questions about whether the Texas Education Agency believes HISD has the legal authority to hire a superintendent, agency officials declined to comment “while we await a final decision from the courts.”
In addition, the HISD trustees’ lawsuit could be resolved in the coming weeks or months. If HISD loses the case, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath would select the district’s superintendent and new board members.