HOUSTON – Board members met with the Texas Education Agency Thursday afternoon in closed session to discuss the board's next steps after as many as 10 Houston Independent School District schools were threatened to be taken over due to poor performance.
"They heard us. They came in and said, 'Hey -- y'all are in it -- we're in it with you.' The last thing they want to do is close school," Wanda Adams, HISD board president, said.
It was a stark contrast from Wednesday's outlook on cooperation between the TEA and HISD. Adams said they were able to make their case to the TEA about the progress the district had made.
"The last thing they want to do is close schools, and the last thing they want to do is send in a board of managers, so what they're doing is giving us the opportunity to get it right to fix it, and so we will fight this battle along with our students, as well as our parents and our teachers," Adams said.
The TEA also let them know of another option: If the schools don't make the mark, hire an in-district charter management company oversee the schools. Adams said the board was not considering this option because it would be a last resort.
The board announced the progress of their meeting with the TEA at the board meeting Thursday night.
"There will be an additional ramped up, robust intervention plan," HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza announced to a packed room of parents and community members. "We are addressing this issue not from a programmatic approach, not from a vendor approach -- this is from a roll up your sleeves, blue collar, good instruction, high quality instruction approach."
The plans have yet to be set in stone but some of the changes include 100 percent staffing at the schools in question, immediate service responses for maintenance requests and having a full time substitute available at each school.
"We can't do this without the support of parents and the community," Adams said.
Some parents felt uncomfortable about the district's situation.
"Those 10 schools we're responsible for them and they need to be fixed," parent Margo Backus said.
"If those schools close, our crime rate is going to go through the roof," said Houston resident and HISD alum Gerry Moore. "I don't believe they can do it, as taxpayers, as parents, we're going to have to fill in the gap where they're dropping the ball."
Others, like teacher and parent, Rosa Saldivar, feel more hopeful.
"I think they can do it, yeah," Saldivar, who was brought into Stevenson Middle School as part of the district's efforts to increase attendance, said.
She teaches dance.
"They thought they needed to give students more of a reason to want to come to school," Saldivar sadi while standing with her dance students.
Ultimately, the TEA is expected to release the list of "chronically under-performing" on Aug. 15. Adams believes that list will show only seven schools in jeopardy.
