State takeover of HISD (Houston, Dallas: school, vs., bill)

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by usc619

HISD has been nothing but a cash cow for local politicians, the takeover was long overdue. HISD schools have been failing for the last eight years, not a word from them politicians until now I wonder how many of them local politicians voted for HB 1842 & HB 1882 lol

For which politicians was HISD a cash cow? The board members aren't paid for being on the Board of Trustees.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by WRM20

The TEA has no experience running schools



Most people don't pay attention to HISD finances. Which were made worse by HISD having to send $150 million to the State under Robin Hood for several years.

The tests are pretty bad, and poorly designed. They need to be dumped as a waste of time and effort. That way, teachers would stop being forced to teach to the test and could teach an actual curriculum.

1. The TEA won't run any school. The TEA will appoint a board and super and as soon as possible back away. They have a track record handling these situations pretty well.

2. Robin Hood sucks, however, people who vote like you made it happen. Own it and always remember that idiotic waterpark per La Joya ISD.

3. The tests are fine. If teaching to tests is good enough for MD and DO training similar is good enough for K-12.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by EDS_

1. The TEA won't run any school. The TEA will appoint a board and super and as soon as possible back away. They have a track record handling these situations pretty well.

2. Robin Hood sucks, however, people who vote like you made it happen. Own it and always remember that idiotic waterpark per La Joya ISD.

3. The tests are fine. If teaching to tests is good enough for MD and DO training similar is good enough for K-12.

1. TEA's record is mixed at best. They do better when the district is in trouble due to financial issues or similar non-student related problems.

2. The Republican dominated Legislature has had many opportunities to reform Robin Hood, but they just can't stop loving the billions they get from rich areas that reduces the amount of state money that has to go to poor districts. And, at the time the original recapture law was passed in 1993, I voted Republican. That was before Republicans in Texas became insane idiots, though.

3. The tests are not fine. They are grade level inappropriate and culturally biased. And that's ignoring the fact that forcing teachers to teach to a specific test is ridiculous.

[kreeyax]

Originally Posted by WRM20

The tests are pretty bad, and poorly designed. They need to be dumped as a waste of time and effort. That way, teachers would stop being forced to teach to the test and could teach an actual curriculum.

I think that's my biggest complaint here in CFISD as the parent of a fifth grader. The teachers spend so much time coaching kids in how to pass the STAAR, and then there's basically an entire week of school dedicated to taking the test. I feel like they're sacrificing the actual curriculum they should be teaching for so much test prep. When I was in grade school in the 80's we took the CAT (California Achievement Test) but there was no prep and it only took a couple of hours one morning if I remember right. It was minimally invasive.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by WRM20

1. TEA's record is mixed at best. They do better when the district is in trouble due to financial issues or similar non-student related problems.

2. The Republican dominated Legislature has had many opportunities to reform Robin Hood, but they just can't stop loving the billions they get from rich areas that reduces the amount of state money that has to go to poor districts. And, at the time the original recapture law was passed in 1993, I voted Republican. That was before Republicans in Texas became insane idiots, though.

3. The tests are not fine. They are grade level inappropriate and culturally biased. And that's ignoring the fact that forcing teachers to teach to a specific test is ridiculous.

Like I said people who vote like you do gave us Robin Hood.

IMO you should pull up some sample STAAR tests read the questions and mentally superimpose passing/ satisfactory scores over the totality of the test(s).

[usc619]

Originally Posted by WRM20

For which politicians was HISD a cash cow? The board members aren't paid for being on the Board of Trustees.

It’s a little more complicated than that, I’m sure you know this. BTW I hear there’s going to be an audit, that should be interesting.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by usc619

It’s a little more complicated than that, I’m sure you know this. BTW I hear there’s going to be an audit, that should be interesting.

The Legislative Budget Board did an audit a couple of years ago. I doubt the new audit will find many new items. The board from the bad days, Davila, Jones, etc, fired the actual HISD audit head for adding too many questions. That was an outrageous move. That board also set a bad tone with respect to corruption. I personally feel that corrupt public officials ought to spend about 300 years in prison.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Like I said people who vote like you do gave us Robin Hood.

IMO you should pull up some sample STAAR tests read the questions and mentally superimpose passing/ satisfactory scores over the totality of the test(s).

I am pretty sure I have looked at more STAAR tests than you. The test is awful, and Pearson should be destroyed as a testing company.

What do you mean by "people who vote like you"?

[LocalPlanner]

Past HISD boards (maybe not so much the current one) left the district in a credibility deficit it has yet to climb out of. Plus many feel that the district has institutionalized an organizational structure (and a financial one) that is too centralized and administration-focused, which leads many to suspect that it is a patronage factory for local community power brokers. Principals that tried to have more autonomy over their resources, and started to have track records where the facts started backing them up, were fired (with no real explanation, again leading to suspicion).

Regarding magnets, perhaps the district should shift to an on-site advanced school-in-a-school system that can segregate the kids with the active parents on each campus from the others so that they are educated separately, but equally. That way the former group isn't educated away from the community. I think some campuses in other districts do this - Stratford HS in SBISD comes to mind.

All that said, anytime the state moves to usurp local voters in terms of selecting governing officials, it's a big deal. Essentially the legislature is saying to voters that they have failed at being trusted to self-govern and carry out the policy directives of the state, and deserve the temporary forfeiting of electoral rights. I won't be surprised to see this viewpoint extended by the legislature to other local government bodies, particularly cities and counties. Many have wanted to dissolve the City of Austin City Council for some time and replace it with state control; we may see further efforts to make that happen in current or near-future legislatures. Other local governments (Harris, Travis, Bexar, Fort Bend and Dallas counties, cities of Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio for example) may also be in their sights.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by WRM20

I am pretty sure I have looked at more STAAR tests than you. The test is awful, and Pearson should be destroyed as a testing company.

What do you mean by "people who vote like you"?

Conservatives didn't foist Robin Hood on us.


You only need to look at one or two STAAR tests to know it is more effective at ferreting out excellence vs. on plan vs. deficiency than grades across hundred of thousands of kids.