The people have demanded a response. But will the people receive their answers?
The Texas Education Agency will be present during the HISD board meeting on May 18 to present the transition to the new board of managers for the June 1 deadline.
One of the line items in the board meeting agenda will focus on the consideration of board member roles and responsibilities in connection with education reform advocate A.J Crabill’s proposal to act as transition manager for the agency’s appointment of Board of Managers.
Crabill is the former TEA Deputy Commissioner and the conservator of DeSoto ISD. He currently serves as the national school board governance leader at the Council of the Great City Schools.
In 2016, Morath appointed Crabill in his role and made him in charge of the agency’s efforts to improve schools and ensure accreditation. He facilitated leadership and governance training sessions for school administrators and board members on how to better execute the responsibilities of their positions, according to the TEA website.
He has lead conversations on numerous platforms, sharing his thoughts on how to focus on the needs of students, what leads school boards to become ineffective, and strategies that board members can adopt to improve student outcomes success.
For several weeks, education advocates, teachers, and concerned parents of Houston ISD students have applied pressure and rallied against the lack of transparency over their concerns about the takeover of the school district. They’ve called on TEA Commissioner Mike Morath on numerous occasions to face the community and answer their most pressing questions.
Morath made a disappointing attempt to speak with HISD teachers at a recent two-hour meeting at Delmar Stadium on May 16. It was his first formal appearance since the agency announced that they would be taking over the school district in March.
The Morath-led conversation mirrored the same presentation style as the previous community forums held by TEA a couple of months ago and still left educators with unanswered questions about the process.
A total of 462 candidates applied for the board of managers role, with 227 completing the mandatory training. Nine of the 227 will be selected for the board that will replace the current elected board of trustees.
