Author Topic: Gov. Greg Abbott advocates for state takeover of Houston ISD’s school board in scathing tweet  (Read 654 times)

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Online Elderberry

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Texas Tribune by Aliyya Swaby Jan. 3, 2019

In a scathing tweet Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott slammed Houston Independent School District leaders for "self-centered ineptitude" and rallied for the state to take over the district's school board.


     Greg Abbott
‏     Verified account @GregAbbott_TX

     What a joke. HISD leadership is a disaster. Their self-centered ineptitude has failed the children they are supposed to educate. If ever there was a school board that needs to be taken over and reformed it’s HISD. Their students & parents deserve change.


The social media post came after more than a year of massive upheaval for the state's largest school district, with Hurricane Harvey's floods causing major financial hemorrhages and long-term school closures in August 2017 and a superintendent leaving for New York City's schools soon after. The district has not had a permanent superintendent since March.

In 2015, Texas passed a strict law that allowed the state to impose sanctions on school districts with schools that consistently failed to meet state academic standards. Now, Houston ISD must boost the performance of four of its chronically low-performing schools in 2019, or it will be taken over by the state or be forced to shut down those schools.

Abbott's tweet was responding to a Wednesday Houston Chronicle opinion piece written by a contingent of local community members. The article argued that the district should get lawmakers to repeal that law and sue the state's education agency if the Legislature refuses.

More: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/03/texas-gov-greg-abbott-take-over-houston-isd/