Mayor Sylvester Turner
Mayor Sylvester Turner has ruled out any partnership with Houston ISD to turn around 10 chronically under-performing schools, saying Wednesday he will not be part of the school district’s forthcoming proposal aimed at avoiding a state takeover.
HISD administrators have recommended temporarily giving up power over governance, hiring and other operations at the 10 campuses to an outside organization in an attempt to stave off school closures or replacement of the district’s school board. The district’s proposal is due to the Texas Education Agency by April 30. Administrators have not named any potential partners that would take control, and trustees are not expected to vote on proposals until next week.
Turner said last month that he had been asked to get “very, very, very involved” in the district’s efforts, and he did not rule out the possibility of some kind of partnership with HISD. On Wednesday, he said after the City Council meeting that neither he nor the city would be partnering with HISD.
“I will not be in that proposal,” the mayor said of the plan due this month. “Depending on whether or not schools remain in IR status after this academic year will in large part determine what will be the extent of my role.”
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HISD administrators have released little information about their recommendations for the 10 schools as the April 30 deadline nears. Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan verbally has recommended forming three-year partnerships, though terms of any potential contracts have not been released. HISD did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday on its partnership plans.
Turner said he has been speaking weekly with Education Commissioner Mike Morath, whose agency is expected to approve or reject partnership contracts by early June.
See here for the background. We don’t really know much about HISD’s intentions here, which is a bit alarming considering the deadline they’re facing. Surely there was room for more public engagement on this. Be that as it may, I do hope they get this right.