Four HISD A-rated campuses to partner with nonprofits under Texas law

HOUSTON – Houston Independent School District announced it will move four A-rated campuses into Texas Partnerships next school year, a shift that hands day-to-day operations to outside nonprofit partners while leaving the district with a performance agreement, district officials said.

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Texas Partnerships, signed into state law in 2017, gives districts incentives to partner with nonprofit organizations to operate schools. The mechanism is most often used to try to turn around poorly performing campuses, but districts can also apply it to high-performing campuses, officials said.

The four schools named by HISD are:

• Challenge Early College High School (A rated)
• Energy Institute High School (A rated)
• Houston Academy for International Studies (A rated)
• Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (A rated)

District officials say each campus will be paired with its own nonprofit partner, which would take responsibility for staffing, budgeting, curriculum and daily operations. The move also makes each campus eligible for increased state funding tied to the partnership model, officials said.

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Dr. Duncan Klussman, associate professor at the University of Houston, described the partnership arrangement as a contract-based relationship that can increase district control through clear performance expectations.

“Actually, the School District in many cases gets more control because they have a very clear performance agreement. I’ll give you an example. This is a performance agreement, this is a contract, an 1882 contract in the state of Texas. You can see how thick it is and how inclusive it is. Basically, the district holds the partner accountable to this contract,” Klussman said.

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This is the district’s first use of Texas Partnerships and it is correctly labeled as a test bed for greater school autonomy. Superintendent Mike Miles said the selected campuses have demonstrated they deserve increased autonomy, district communications show.

Supporters say the model brings new resources and flexibility; critics often ask why top-performing campuses should be restructured. Parents and community members will likely press for details about the nonprofits under consideration, what changes — if any — families can expect in staffing or curriculum, and what oversight mechanisms will remain in place.

• Mayor Whitmire, Councilmember Pollard’s heated debate over HISD closures, and Mike Miles’ absence.

HISD’s state-run school board and the TEA have yet to officially sign-off on the selected non-profit organizations, each of which have pre-existing relationships with their schools.