State Lawmakers Submit Bill in Response to Possible HISD TEA Takeover

HOUSTON. State legislators filed the bill in response to the impending takeover of Houston ISD by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Editor’s Note: The video above was posted on March 6th.

Senate Bill 1662, introduced by State Senators Carol Alvarado, Borris Miles, and John Whitmire, would make it so that TEA is not required to close a school or replace a school board with a management board during a takeover.

Under current law, the current school board of elected trustees will be replaced by a state-appointed board if a takeover occurs.

“SB 1662 offers the agency options to work with HISD to address any current shortcomings rather than subject nearly 200,000 students and 27,000 teachers and staff to takeover,” said Senator Alvarado.

Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed on Tuesday that he expects TEA to take action soon.

The only thing TEA has said is that it continues to “review the Supreme Court’s decision to determine the next steps that will best support the students, teachers, parents, and school community of the Houston Independent School District.”

On Monday, community members spoke out against the TEA takeover at a forum hosted by the Houston NAACP and several local organizations.

Many speakers at the forum called it a hostile move and said that the TEA takeover would do more harm to students than good for them or their teachers.

“There should be more options on the table for one,” HISD mother Marlene Jones said. “We just can’t just come in and take over a school, especially a school that has made progress.”

A HISD teacher who attended the forum said she and her colleagues were scared.

“We don’t know the future,” said Arnetta Murray. “We don’t know if we’ll get a job. We don’t know anything and it’s not fair.”