TEA says it will replace Houston ISD’s elected school board

[Elderberry]

Houston Chronicle by  Jacob Carpenter Nov. 6, 2019

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath notified Houston ISD officials Wednesday that he plans to temporarily strip power from the district’s elected school board and appoint a replacement governance team, a long-anticipated decision resulting from a state investigation into allegations of trustee misconduct and chronically low academic performance at Wheatley High School.

Morath’s decision all-but-finalizes one of the most dramatic state interventions in an American school district to date, putting immense power over HISD in the hands of state-appointed officials. In addition to selecting a new board, Morath also must decide whether to keep HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan or install a new district leader, an authority granted under state law.

In a letter to HISD officials, Morath said he is compelled to act “given the inability of the board of trustees to govern the district" and its "inability to address the long-standing academic deficiencies” at Wheatley. State law mandates that Morath close historic Wheatley or replace the nine-member school board after the campus received its seventh consecutive failing grade in August. In addition, Texas Education Agency investigators last week recommended the installation of a new board after substantiating several allegations of misconduct by trustees.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/TEA-notifies-Houston-ISD-of-intent-to-replace-14815171.php

[IsailedawayfromFR]

A reminder to all that power resides in the state, not locally.

[PeteS in CA]

Strange ... to me it looks more like incompetent educrats being held accountable for failure, even when the locals would not. If Texas' ISDs are created under the state's laws and constitution then they are accountable to the State of Texas. I still think the new, temporary, board should include several homeschooling parents.

[thackney]

I still think the new, temporary, board should include several homeschooling parents.

Why would people with no involvement in the school system be informed about it enough to run it?

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Why would people with no involvement in the school system be informed about it enough to run it?

Because they pay taxes.

Is it your belief that most on school board have kids in school?

To carry your logic through to conclusion, why not have just teachers and administrators on board?  They are most informed.

[thackney]

Because they pay taxes.

Is it your belief that most on school board have kids in school?

To carry your logic through to conclusion, why not have just teachers and administrators on board?  They are most informed.

I was trying to understand why this group would specifically be suggested to be on the board.

To say because they pay taxes, means everybody should be recommended for the board.  In other words, no recommendation at all.

[Bigun]

Any taxpayer living within the boundaries of a School District can and should serve on that district's board at some point. I've done that and let me tell you it's an eye-opening experience.

[PeteS in CA]

Why would people with no involvement in the school system be informed about it enough to run it?

The "experts" on the school board have done a job in Houston worthy of respect?

Well, as mentioned above, they pay taxes. They are members of the community whose quality of life is affected by the quality of local schools. They have a stake in an educated populace. They are educating their children, from matching curricular materials to each child's needs through daily instruction (how many school board members are that hands-on in educating students?). Give the educrats who use their authority to harass and denigrate homeschoolers a chance to meet and work with those they harassed and denigrated (I'm not saying all educrats do, but it does happen, even in Texas).

[PeteS in CA]

Any taxpayer living within the boundaries of a School District can and should serve on that district's board at some point. I've done that and let me tell you it's an eye-opening experience.

Education and sausage-making are to some degree akin?

[thackney]

The "experts" on the school board have done a job in Houston worthy of respect?

Well, as mentioned above, they pay taxes. They are members of the community whose quality of life is affected by the quality of local schools. They have a stake in an educated populace.

Okay, that part just described everyone.

They are educating their children, from matching curricular materials to each child's needs through daily instruction (how many school board members are that hands-on in educating students?). Give the educrats who use their authority to harass and denigrate homeschoolers a chance to meet and work with those they harassed and denigrated (I'm not saying all educrats do, but it does happen, even in Texas).

I think board members are more involved in contracts than selecting teaching material.  Most of the complaints around the current board involve the letting of contracts, violating open meeting rules and taking actions without notifying other board members.  These people are not teachers.