And this is where the state is supposed to come in and provide those additional resources. And oftentimes the city themselves cannot provide all of the funding, and they need outside funding. And so this is why, particularly in communities that are lower-resource, it's important that they receive the funding. MOREL: Lack of adequate funding in the state of Texas, particularly for a city like Houston, can help explain a lot of the challenges. So how big of a factor do you think that underfunding is in explaining schools' poor academic performance? But a Census Bureau survey showed that Texas spent $3,000 less per student than the national average in 2020. They lose the ability to have influence over this.ĬHANG: The officials in Texas - they keep talking consistently about this poor academic performance as the rationale for the takeover. On the other hand, what is clear is the political consequences for the community - losing the ability to have a representative body at the school board, things like school closures, things like the firing of teachers, the superintendent, all these kinds of things that matter to communities. MOREL: We don't have any good evidence that takeovers improved educational outcomes. Well, beyond the issue of accountability, I mean, how successful are state takeovers in improving academic performance? And people who are rooted in the communities - even when they are on the board, they might find it very frustrating when they see that what they thought they will be able to do at the board is not in line with what the state wants to do.ĬHANG: Interesting. The concern is who is this board going to be accountable to, right? So it's going to be accountable to the state, not to the residents of the city of Houston. So I suspect that new board will represent the city of Houston. MOREL: So my research shows that when the state takes over a district and appoints a new board, that board is actually racially representative of the community. How likely is it that the new board of managers for this district will actually resemble the district they represent?
And then this appointed board will now resume the responsibility of governance for the Houston Independent School District.ĬHANG: Well, you know, Houston's school district is 62% Latino, 22% Black. MOREL: Usually what it means is the state authority - and the case in Texas will be the commissioner of education - they move towards removing the local school board in Houston, replacing it with an appointed board. So first, can you just briefly explain what happens next in this process? Like, what does a district takeover entail exactly? Welcome.ĭOMINGO MOREL: Thank you, Ailsa - nice to be with you.ĬHANG: Nice to have you. Here to explain more is Domingo Morel, author of the book "Takeover: Race, Education, And American Democracy." He's also an associate professor at New York University. But Democrats in the state counter that the move is politically driven. Republican Governor Greg Abbott and state education officials announced the move last week, citing poor academic performance in the district, among other reasons. That is the eighth largest district in the nation. The state of Texas says it is taking over the Houston Independent School District. A political fight is brewing over the fate of Houston's public schools.
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