A group of Houston Democratic lawmakers released recommendations Thursday that would make it harder for Texas to take over a struggling school district and give local voters a role in deciding when a state takeover ends, The Texas Tribune reported.
The proposals come out of a commission formed in Houston, where Houston ISD is under the largest state takeover in Texas history. State Sen. Molly Cook and state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons helped lead it, with Rep. Christina Morales, education researchers and community members also contributing after hearings with HISD teachers, students and parents.
What would change
Under current law, five straight years of F ratings at a single campus can trigger an intervention in which the education commissioner replaces the elected school board with appointed managers. Cook told the Tribune she plans to file a bill next session that would instead require failing ratings at 10% of a district's campuses before a takeover could begin.
Her bill would also end a takeover once the struggling campuses earn acceptable ratings for two years in a row, leaving the commissioner less discretion than he has now.
"We don't want failing schools, but automatically taking over the largest school district in Texas because of one failing school is not a fair measuring stick," Cook said.
The commission also recommended:
- a local referendum on when a takeover ends;
- rules in state law governing the appointed board of managers and the superintendent it hires; and
- a requirement that appointed managers work alongside the elected trustees, who hold no power while the state is in charge.
Fort Worth Rep. Nicole Collier, whose city's district is also under state control, said at a Tribune panel Wednesday that she plans legislation creating a "continuity board" to keep trustees involved. "We need to look at what happens to our elected trustees," she said.
