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88-712: The Texas Education Agency ( TEA ) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States. The agency is headquartered in the William B. Travis State Office Building in downtown Austin . Mike Morath , formerly a member of the Dallas Independent School District 's board of trustees, was appointed commissioner of education by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on December 14, 2015, and began serving on January 4, 2016. Prior to

176-593: A Chief of School Safety and Security within the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to coordinate efforts across various agencies and divisions, ensuring effective implementation of safety policies and best practices. This position was to report directly to the Commissioner and have a direct line to the Governor’s Office, enhancing communication and collaboration without duplicating existing work. Abbott underscored

264-403: A city and a school district may enter into agreements with the county whereby the county bills for and collects property taxes for the city and school district). Texas does not have townships; areas within a county are either incorporated or unincorporated. Incorporated areas are part of a city, though the city may contract with the county for needed services. Unincorporated areas are not part of

352-416: A city; in these areas the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance. Their local ordinances, rules, and police regulations are usually codified in a "code of ordinances". Cities are classified as either "general law" or " home rule ". A city may elect home rule status (i.e., draft an independent city charter) once it exceeds 5,000 population and the voters agree to home rule. Otherwise, it

440-502: A direct line to the Governor’s Office. He will coordinate safety efforts among multiple state agencies and school districts. Governor Abbott has also outlined significant actions to support the Uvalde community and enhance school safety statewide, including financial investments, mental health services, and legislative initiatives. The mission of the Office of School Safety and Security is to build

528-448: A federal investigation. State education officials set an arbitrary limit of 8.5% for the number of students who could receive special education services. By strictly enforcing district compliance with the benchmark, the rate of students receiving special education in Texas fell to 8.5% in 2015, far below the national average of 13%. School districts implemented a wide range of practices to reduce

616-523: A former education board chairman who was the leader of the conservative bloc. Ratliff said in 2013 that the board is "far different" in political complexion that it was in 2010. In 2022, the GOP captured an additional seat, bringing their total to 10 of the 15-member board. Many are social conservatives, campaigning against critical race theory and gender identity lessons. [1] To serve the large number of individual school districts and charter schools in Texas, TEA

704-630: A grade of 84. In 2019 271 HISD schools were counted in TEA accountability ratings. 250 schools passed, while 21 (7.5% of schools) did not. In 2020 the HISD board voted 6-3 against naming Lathan as permanent superintendent. Millard House became the new superintendent on July 1, 2021. All board members voted to approve him and he was the only finalist for the position. He was from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System . During

792-615: A growing number of black students. There were 8,293 students in Houston's schools for black students in the 1924-1925 school year. In 1927, Houston ISD annexed the Harrisburg School District's colored school. The district also built new schools such as the former Jack Yates High School (later Ryan Middle School ) and Wheatley High School . The capacity of Houston's secondary schools for black children increased by three times from 1924 to 1929. The original secondary school for blacks

880-401: A letter dated June 9, 2022, to Commissioner Morath, Governor Abbott emphasized the urgent need to prevent future tragedies like the one in Uvalde by enhancing school safety measures. Despite the comprehensive school safety and mental health legislation passed in 2019 and subsequent efforts, he stated that further actions were necessary before the next school year. Abbott called for the creation of

968-406: A minimum of press coverage and controversy by using a participative process that minimized conflict between various Houston neighborhoods. McAdams credits the move with being the catalyst for the 1995 establishment of 11 geographic districts patterned around high school feeder patterns. In 1994, after superintendent Petruzielo left the district, the school district voted 6-1 to make Yvonne Gonzalez

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1056-471: A model for other urban school districts as a way to provide a high quality education and keep top performing students in the inner city from fleeing to private schools or exurban school districts. Magnet schools are popular with parents and students that wish to escape low-performing schools and school violence. The members of the administration of schools losing students to higher-performing campuses, such as Bill Miller of Yates High School , complained about

1144-789: A nonpartisan basis or may be appointed. The most common is the independent school district , which (with one exception ) has a board of trustees that is independent of any other governing authority. School district boundaries are not generally aligned with city or county boundaries; it is common for a school district to cover one or more counties or for a large city to be served by several school districts. The Texas Education Agency governs public education in Texas. Other special districts include Groundwater Conservation Districts (regulatory agencies), river authorities, water supply districts (for irrigation or municipal supply), public hospitals, road districts and community colleges. Houston ISD The Houston Independent School District ( HISD )

1232-674: A phase-in with each subsequent grade being integrated. Local African-American leaders believed the pace was too slow, and William Lawson, a youth minister, asked Wheatley students to boycott school. Five days afterwards 10% of Wheatley students attended classes. In 1970 a federal judge asked the district to speed the integration process. Simultaneously Mexican Americans were being discriminated against when they were being labeled as whites and being put with only African Americans as part of HISD's desegregation / integration plan. This kept both Mexican Americans and African Americans away from Anglos while satisfying integration requirements set forth by

1320-546: A reputation as one of the most complex in the United States, with many layers and many overlapping jurisdictions. Texas has two courts of last resort: the Texas Supreme Court , which hears civil cases, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals . Except in the case of some municipal benches, partisan elections choose all of the judges at all levels of the judiciary; the governor fills vacancies by appointment. All members of

1408-517: A semi-peaceful manner. River Oaks Elementary School became the first school to implement the HISD's Vanguard Program in the fall of 1972, with a program for 4th-6th graders. This program was initially named the Elementary School For The Gifted. The Vanguard Program name was adopted a year later. A desegregation busing plan, protested by Anglo White westside neighborhoods not wanting their children bused to predominately black schools,

1496-416: A special focus and draws students throughout HISD. Each vanguard program is a gifted and talented program for students throughout HISD. A neighborhood vanguard program is a program designed for gifted and talented children zoned to a particular school. As of 2011, its 113 programs served almost 20% of the HISD student population. HISD, which officially first opened its magnet system in 1975, started them as

1584-420: A total of 254 counties, by far the largest number of counties of any state. Each county is run by a five-member Commissioners' Court consisting of four commissioners elected from single-member districts (called commissioner precincts) and a county judge elected at-large . The county judge does not have authority to veto a decision of the commissioners court; the judge votes along with the commissioners (being

1672-558: A vendor, and HISD. Frankie Wong, former president of Micro Systems, and two Dallas Independent School District administrators received criminal charges. As of 2007 several existing HISD schools were converting to K-8 school setups while other new K-8 schools were opening. Prior to the bond election in November 2007, the district abandoned a proposal to convert several schools into K-8 campuses due to African American neighborhoods communities resisting proposed school consolidations. In 2011

1760-611: A way to voluntarily racially integrate schools. The High School for Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) was technically the first magnet school in Houston; this status was mistakenly attributed to River Oaks Elementary School . In 1984 the district had 75 magnet programs. By the mid-1990s many magnet schools no longer held the goal of integration and instead focused on improving educational quality of schools. As of 2011 magnet schools continued to be popular among HISD constituents. HISD's magnet (Performing Arts, Science, Health Professions, Law Enforcement, etc.) high schools are considered

1848-629: Is Mike Morath. A former member of the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees, he was appointed commissioner of education by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on December 14, 2015. The commissioner's role is to lead and manage the Texas Education Agency. The commissioner also co-ordinates efforts between state and federal agencies. TEA is overseen by a 15-member State Board of Education (SBOE) elected from single-member districts. There are no term limits . Terms are four years in length, with one two-year term each decade. Similar to

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1936-434: Is a separate entity not under TEA oversight. In addition to primary and secondary education, TEA has oversight duties with respect to driver's education courses (initial permits) and defensive driving courses (used to have a ticket dismissed and/or for lower insurance premiums). On November 7, 2007, Christine Comer resigned as the director of the science curriculum after more than nine years. Comer said that her resignation

2024-533: Is classified as general law and has very limited powers. Larger cities (those exceeding 225,000) have a unique authority: that of "limited annexation", whereby an adjoining area may be annexed for purposes of imposing city ordinances related to safety and building codes. The residents can vote for mayor and council races but cannot vote in bond elections (and, consequently, the city cannot directly collect city sales tax from businesses or city property tax from owners). Municipal elections in Texas are nonpartisan in

2112-575: Is divided in the monitoring and technical assistance division and the school readiness division. Government of Texas Austin is the capital of Texas. The State Capitol resembles the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. , but is faced in Texas pink granite and is topped by a statue of the " Goddess of Liberty " holding aloft a five-point Texas star . The capitol is also notable for purposely being built seven feet taller than

2200-799: Is divided into 20 regions, each containing an Education Service Center (ESC, sometimes called regional service center or regional education service center). Under Chapter 8 of the Texas Education Code, ESCs perform the following tasks on behalf of TEA: The assistance applies to both districts and schools, including charter schools. Notably, the ESCs have no regulatory authority over districts or schools (TEA headquarters reserves this right to itself). ESCs are not political units, and as such have no taxing authority. They are funded by state and federal funding, as well as by contracts made with individual districts and schools. TEA rates schools and districts using

2288-794: Is more equity in its gifted and talented program. As of the 2014-2015 school year, over 59,700 HISD students reported the language spoken at home by their families as Spanish. Over 925 reported their home language as Arabic and over 445 reported their home language as Vietnamese. As of 2015 other common languages were Mandarin Chinese, Nepali, and Urdu. As of 2014 the most common native languages for limited English and/or English learner students were Spanish (58,365 students, or 92% of ELL students), Arabic (855 or 1.3%), Vietnamese (437 or 0.7%), Mandarin Chinese (319 or 0.5%), Nepali (295, 0.5%), Swahili (250 or 0.4%), French (139 or 0.2%), Urdu (143 or 0.2%), Amharic (107 or 0.2%), and Tigrinya (104 or 0.2%). As of 2013

2376-431: Is the largest public school system in Texas , and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities in addition to some unincorporated areas . Like most districts in Texas, it is independent of the city of Houston and all other municipal and county jurisdictions. The district has its headquarters in

2464-432: Is to instill a culture of constant vigilance and accountability across all Texas schools. A statutory addition from HB3 charged the agency with establishing the Office of School Safety and Security - a division consisting of individuals with substantial expertise and experience in school or law enforcement safety and security operations. The passage of this bill created Texas Education Code, Section. 37.1083 and 37.1084. In

2552-579: The COVID-19 pandemic in Texas House agreed to institute a mask mandate effective fall 2021 despite Governor of Texas Greg Abbott banning school districts from having mask mandates. Additionally the HISD board of education voted to approve the mask mandate. The vote was eight in favor and none voting against. In 2023 the Texas Education Agency announced that it will remove the superintendent and

2640-590: The Philippines from 1998 to 2007. Bilingual educational services, as of 2014, are available for Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, Nepali, Urdu, and Swahili speakers. According to Texas Administrative Code BB § 89.1205 a language is eligible to have a bilingual program if 20 or more students are present in a school district who speak that language as their home language. Houston ISD offers three specialized programs, magnet programs , vanguard programs, and neighborhood vanguard programs. Each magnet program has

2728-457: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) had opened an investigation against the school board and ordered a halt to any efforts to recruit a permanent superintendent. By August 2019 the TEA wrote a preliminary report recommending that the HISD school board be dissolved, with a state-appointed board of managers and conservator replacing it, and to reduce the accreditation of HISD. The report alleges wrongdoing of various board members, including violations of

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2816-600: The Texas Education Agency ordered the North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) to close, pending approval from the U.S. Justice Department . NFISD would be merged into HISD. On June 13, 2013, the HISD board voted unanimously to absorb the North Forest Independent School District (NFISD). HISD won the Broad Prize in 2013. On January 14, 2016, the HISD board voted 5-4 to rename four campuses named after Robert E. Lee or others linked to

2904-620: The 1920s. Houston ISD absorbed portions of the White Oak Independent School District in 1937 and portions of the Addicks Independent School District after its dissolution. In the fall of 1960 12 black students were admitted to HISD schools previously reserved for whites. The racial integration efforts in HISD, beginning in 1960, were characterized by a lack of violence and turmoil as business leaders sought not to cause disruption. Prior to 1960 HISD

2992-528: The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education court case decision. Many Mexican Americans took their children out of the public schools and put them in "huelga," or protest schools. On August 31, 1970, and organized by the Mexican-American Education Council (MAEC), they began three weeks of boycotts, protests, and picketing. This action lasted approximately three weeks, during which up to 75% of the student bodies of some high schools participated in

3080-526: The Confederacy. In October 2018 the HISD board chose to appoint Saavedra as the interim HISD superintendent, but the board later reversed its decision. The board members who did not favor bringing in Saavedra were not aware of this until a board member who did support this announced the decision at an official board meeting. The reversal meant that Grenita Latham remained as the interim superintendent. By 2019

3168-701: The County Judges and Commissioners Association events and the official association publication County Progress. Counties in Texas have limited regulatory (ordinance) authority. Counties in Texas do not have zoning power (except for limited instances). However, counties can collect a small portion of property tax and spend it to provide residents with needed services or to employ the power of eminent domain . Unlike other states, Texas does not allow for consolidated city-county governments. Cities and counties (as well as other political entities) are permitted to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services (for instance,

3256-564: The Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center in Houston. In 2016, the school district was rated "met standards" by the Texas Education Agency . The Brunner Independent School District merged into Houston schools in 1913-1914. Houston ISD was established in 1923 after the Texas Legislature voted to separate the city's schools from the municipal government. In the 1920s, at the time Edison Oberholtzer

3344-622: The Legislature into special sessions (and may do so as often as desired); the Legislature lacks the power to call itself into special session. Its session laws are published in the official General and Special Laws ; most, but not all, of these statutes are codified in the Revised Civil Statutes , Penal Code , and Code of Criminal Procedure (sometimes referred to as the Texas Statutes ). The judicial system of Texas has

3432-754: The October 2006 "For Your Information" newsletter, the eleven HISD schools which took the largest number of Katrina evacuees were: A University of Houston study concluded that the presence of Katrina evacuees did not impact the test score grades of native Houstonian students. In 2007 the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Federal Communications Commission , and the United States Department of Justice began an investigation probing business relationships between Micro Systems Enterprises,

3520-623: The Secretary of State (appointed). The executive branch also includes several boards and commissions that are constituted through a mixture of elections and gubernatorial appointments confirmed by the Senate. Even with the Governor appointing several members of boards and commissions, the overall effect is a sprawling network of administrative bodies that neither the Governor nor the Legislature are able to coordinate or completely control. The Governor appoints

3608-478: The Texas Open Meetings Act. The TEA initially had suggested a board takeover due to poor performance at some schools, but the alleged violation of the open meetings act when several board members attempted to re-hire Saavedra, without the knowledge of the remaining board members, became the reason to seek dismissal of the board. In 2019 HISD received a grade of 88 - "B" - from the TEA, while in 2018 it had

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3696-887: The Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are elected statewide. The Municipal Courts are the most active courts, with the County and District Courts handling most other cases and often sharing the same buildings. Administration is the responsibility of the Supreme Court, which is aided by the Texas Office of Court Administration , the Texas Judicial Council and the State Bar of Texas (the Texas Bar). Texas has

3784-585: The U.S. national capitol. The statewide elected officials are: The executive department consists of the Governor , Lieutenant Governor , Secretary of State , Comptroller of Public Accounts , Commissioner of the General Land Office , and Attorney General . Texas has a plural executive branch system which limits the power of the Governor. Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently, making them directly answerable to

3872-547: The activities of state government and the strong constitutional connections between it and the Lieutenant Governor, but also due to Texas's plural executive. The legislature convenes its regular sessions at noon on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years. The maximum duration of a regular session is 140 days. The Governor is given authority under the state constitution to convene the legislature at other times during

3960-673: The appeals after formation of the district was denied. HISD once served the Harris County portion of Stafford , until the Stafford Municipal School District was established in 1982 to serve the entire city of Stafford. Most of Stafford was in Fort Bend ISD , with a small amount in Houston ISD. In 1987 Olivia Munoz, the district's foreign language director, said that an increase in interest in foreign languages prompted

4048-630: The arrangement of the Texas Senate , SBOE members are divided into two groups based in part on the intervening Census: As such, every two years, about half of the SBOE is on the ballot. The board devises policies and sets academic standards for Texas public schools, and oversees the state Permanent School Fund and selects textbooks to be used in Texas schools. Since 2011, the board can still recommend textbooks, but public school districts can order their own books and materials even if their selections are not on

4136-405: The biennium. Such sessions are known as called or special sessions and are reserved for legislation that the Governor deems critically important in the conduct of state affairs. Called sessions are limited to a period of 30 days, during which the legislature is permitted to pass laws only on subjects submitted by the governor in calling for the session. Unlike other states, only the Governor may call

4224-556: The board of trustees, and therefore begin to directly control HISD. The Houston Independent School District takeover formally began on June 1, 2023 with the appointment of a new superintendent and board of managers. Millard House II was replaced as HISD superintendent by Mike Miles (school superintendent) as part of the planned takeover. HISD focuses on bilingual education of its predominantly Hispanic student body, including recruiting about 330 teachers from Mexico , Spain , Central and South America , Puerto Rico , China , and

4312-459: The boycotts. During the protests MAEC demanded twenty issues to be resolved and HISD began rezoning school areas within its jurisdiction in response. However, this rezoning encouraged "white flight" since minorities were now entering "white schools" in large numbers. At first the district used forced busing , but later switched to a voluntary magnet school program in order to discourage "white flight". The district eventually integrated races in

4400-449: The capacity of the regional education service centers (ESCs) and local education agencies (LEAs) to promote the physical and psychological well-being of students and staff - recognizing that safer schools positively impact student outcomes. We align school safety and security expertise with guidance provided through technical assistance to ensure effective best practices are implemented across the state. The Office of School Safety and Security

4488-547: The citizens, then we ought to take) a thorough look at what they are doing." In 2010, Al Jezeera stated that it was "drafting its own version of American history", including altering school textbooks to remove what it said was a "left-leaning bias" and making changes that are said to have "religious and racial overtones". A series of reports in 2016 by the Houston Chronicle found that since at least 2004, TEA denied special education services to thousands of students, prompting

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4576-565: The collective responsibility to provide a safe environment for all students, educators, and staff. Governor Greg Abbott announced the appointment of John P. Scott as the new Chief of School Safety and Security within the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on October 3. This position was created following the tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde to ensure the implementation of school safety policies and best practices across Texas. Scott, who has an extensive background in security and intelligence, will report directly to Commissioner Mike Morath and have

4664-408: The curriculum controversy, was released. In late January 2013, PBS's Independent Lens aired an abridged version the film. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio, Texas said that the government should "take a look" at the structure of the board and consider a nonpartisan or appointed board if the elected members are "not getting their job done and they're not pleasing the Legislature or

4752-481: The directors of a handful of state agencies, and the Governor exercises direct authority over these offices. Most state agencies are headquartered in Austin. The Texas Administrative Code contains the compiled and indexed regulations of Texas state agencies and is published yearly by the Secretary of State. The Texas Register contains proposed rules, notices, executive orders, and other information of general use to

4840-421: The district to add foreign language languages to four high schools. In 1992, the district, under superintendent Frank Petruzielo, massively rezoned Houston schools, moving students from overcrowded ones to underutilized ones. Donald R. McAdams, a former HISD school board member and author of Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools-- and Winning!: Lessons from Houston , wrote that Petruzielo accomplished this goal with

4928-451: The effects. There are 55 elementary magnet schools, 30 magnet middle schools, and 27 magnet high schools. Some magnet schools are mixed comprehensive and magnet programs, while others are solidly magnet and do not admit any "neighborhood" students. In April 1997 a lawsuit against HISD seeking to end race-based admissions to magnet schools was filed on behalf of two white applicants to Lanier Middle School who were denied admission because

5016-530: The expected decline for fall 2019 was 1,500. HISD officials cited enrollment in charter schools as a factor. The district chose to engage in advertising as a way to combat this. Until 1970 HISD counted its Hispanic and Latino students as "white." Between the 1970-1971 and the 1971-1972 school years, during a period of white flight from major urban school districts across the United States, enrollment at HISD decreased by 16,000. Of that number, 700 were African Americans. The HISD student body had white students as

5104-496: The form of requiring the district to submit corrective action plans and regular status reports, assigning monitors to oversee operations (including the authority to assign a management board, which essentially replaces and performs the duties of the elected school board), and in extreme cases closure of a school campus or even the entire school district. The University Interscholastic League (UIL), which oversees academic and athletic interscholastic competition in Texas public schools,

5192-407: The governor. The governor commands the state militia and can veto bills passed by the Legislature and call special sessions of the Legislature (this power is exclusive to the governor and can be exercised as often as desired). The governor also appoints members of various executive boards and fills judicial vacancies between elections. All members of the executive branch are elected statewide except for

5280-574: The interim superintendent; the school district board members described this as a "symbolic" motion as Gonzalez was the first Hispanic interim superintendent. Gonzalez served until Rod Paige became the superintendent. In 1995 HISD had a performance audit; As of 2019 this was the last such audit done. In the 1990s, after voters rejected a $ 390 million bond package, Paige contracted with The Varnett School , River Oaks Academy , and Wonderland School to house 250 students who could not be placed in HISD schools. The schools were paid $ 3,565 per student. This

5368-482: The largest group until the 1972-1973 school year, when the largest group became the black students. The white student body decreased, while the Hispanic student body increased and became HISD's largest student demographic in the 1989-1990 school year. In 1975 the student body was 39% White and 19% Hispanic. In 1981 the district had 190,000 students; 31% of the district's students were Hispanic, and 21% were White. In 1990

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5456-435: The late 1940s, many school districts in Texas did not operate schools but spent money to send children to schools operated by other districts. In the late 1940s, state lawmakers passed a bill abolishing those districts, prompting a wave of mass school district consolidation. TEA is responsible for the oversight of public primary and secondary education in the state of Texas, involving over 1,000 individual school districts in

5544-537: The long term within the Houston ISD boundaries. Walnut Bend Elementary School 's enrollment increased from around 600 to around 800 with the addition of 184 evacuees; Walnut Bend, out of all of the Houston-area elementary schools, took the most Katrina victims. Nearby Paul Revere Middle School, located in the Westchase district, gained 137 Katrina victims. Revere, out of all of the Houston-area middle schools, has taken in

5632-497: The most Katrina victims. Houston ISD's "West Region," which includes Walnut Bend and Revere, had about one-fifth of Houston ISD's schools but contained more than half of the 5,500 Katrina evacuees in Houston schools. At the start of the 2006-2007 school year, around 2,900 Hurricane Katrina evacuees were still enrolled in Houston ISD schools. Around 700 of them were held back due to poor academic performance. 41% of evacuee 10th graders and 52% of evacuee juniors were held back. According to

5720-720: The need to enhance and expand school safety measures in Texas following the Robb Elementary School tragedy. It highlights the efforts and trainings by the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) and outlines specific actions for school districts to improve safety and security. These actions include reviewing and updating Emergency Operations Plans, training staff, conducting safety assessments, and ensuring compliance with state laws. The letter also mandates random inspections to test security measures and calls for legislative support to secure necessary resources. The overall goal

5808-448: The number of students, including cutting services for certain children with autism and dyslexia, refusing to conduct eligibility evaluations in other languages, and refusing to accept medical records from other countries. Students who are English Language Learners (ELL) also faced a disproportionate impact resulting in a 20% difference in the rate of ELL students getting special education services compared to native speakers. In Houston ISD ,

5896-479: The numbers of ELL learners by home language were: 56,104 for Spanish, 662 for Arabic, 538 for English, 528 for Vietnamese, 277 for Nepali, 271 for Mandarin, 212 for Swahili, 159 for Urdu, and 1,750 for other languages. In the 2015-2016 school year, 58% of HISD students went to the schools of their attendance boundaries, about 27% attended other HISD schools, and 15% attended schools in other school districts and/or charter schools. Of high school students, 54.7% attended

5984-577: The overhaul of its special education practices. Advocates raised concerns about the lack of a competitive bidding process and the Georgia-based company's qualifications, and a former TEA special education director filed a federal complaint about TEA violating state procurement processes. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Education found that "Texas violated federal law by failing to ensure students with disabilities were properly evaluated and provided with an adequate public education." A multi-year strategic plan

6072-455: The public and is published weekly by the Secretary of State. The Texas Legislature is bicameral . The Texas House of Representatives has 150 members, while the Texas Senate has 31. The Speaker of the House presides over the House, and the Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate. It is a powerful arm of the Texas government not only because of its power of the purse to control and direct

6160-494: The public, not the Governor. Although elected statewide, the executive department does not include Railroad Commissioners nor the Agriculture Commissioner. Partly because of many elected officials, the governor's powers are quite limited in comparison to other state governors or the U.S. President. In popular lore and belief the lieutenant governor, who heads the Senate and appoints its committees, has more power than

6248-673: The quota for White students was filled. The lawsuit was funded by the group "Campaign for a Color-Blind America". That year, as a result of this lawsuit, HISD removed the ethnic guidelines to Vanguard enrollment. For the 2017-2018 school year the district reported a total enrollment of 214,175 As of 2015, 7% of black students, 13% of Hispanic students, 36% of white students, and 43% of Asian students in HISD were labeled as gifted and talented. Students from wealthy families were twice as likely to be labeled as gifted and talented compared to students from economic disadvantaged backgrounds. HISD has been implementing multiple strategies to ensure there

6336-551: The ranking system. The Texas Education Agency is funded by the people of the State of Texas , at the direction of their elected legislature and with the consent of the Governor of Texas . The agency's budget must be approved on the legislature's biannual schedule. Revenues for the agency come from the state general fund (primarily sales taxes), the federal government, the Permanent School Fund (a sovereign wealth fund created by

6424-485: The same four criteria. According to the TEA, the number of state schools and districts receiving the top ratings of "exemplary" and "recognized" increased from 2,213 in 2005 to 3,380 in 2006. In 2020, all schools were given a "not rated" designator due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In addition to the state ranking, districts and schools can be awarded additional commendations (referred to as Gold Performance acknowledgements) for other noteworthy accomplishments not included in

6512-524: The schools they were zoned to, 33% attended HISD schools that they were not zoned to, and 11.5% attended charter schools or public schools in other districts. In the 2015-2016 school year there were 4,894 students transferring to four comprehensive high schools located in communities in which 33% or more of the students were Anglo White (Bellaire, Heights, Lamar, and Westside high schools) and 4,073 students transferred to other comprehensive high schools. The student population declined by about 4,000 in 2018, and

6600-440: The sense that candidates do not appear on the ballot on party lines, and do not run as party tickets. However, a candidate's party affiliation is usually known or can be discerned with minimal effort (as the candidate most likely has supported other candidates on partisan tickets). In addition to cities and counties, Texas has numerous special districts . As with municipal elections in Texas, board members or trustees are elected on

6688-532: The state and charter schools . It is also responsible for the safety of students. However, it does not have any jurisdiction over private or parochial schools (whether or not accredited ) nor over home schools . Although school districts are independent governmental entities, TEA has the authority to oversee a district's operations (either involving an individual school or the entire district) if serious issues arise (such as poor standardized test performance, financial distress, or mismanagement). This can be in

6776-405: The state with revenues from public lands), and other sources. * Budget figure is projection; all other years are actual expenditure as reported by TEA After the Uvalde school shooting, Governor Greg Abbott instructed state school safety and education officials to conduct random assessments on access control in Texas public and charter schools. In a letter dated June 1, 2022, Gov. Abbott emphasized

6864-410: The state's largest school district, after the 8.5% goal was met the standard was lowered to 8%. As a result, the district cut hundreds of special education positions, postponed diagnostic evaluations to second grade, and created a list of disqualifying factors that keep students from getting services. TEA issued a no-bid contract for $ 4.4 million to SPEDx in 2017 to analyze student records to assist with

6952-447: The state-approved list. So far, most districts have continued to follow the state-endorsed textbooks, but that trend is expected to change in the next two years as the districts become more cognizant of their available options. Thomas Ratliff, a moderate Republican and the son of former Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff of Mount Pleasant , in 2010 unseated the Bryan dentist Don McLeroy ,

7040-468: The story in an attempt to discredit the Bush administration 's new accountability standards for school districts nationwide, which were partly modeled after HISD's system. In 2005, HISD enrolled evacuees from the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina who were residing in Houston. The Houston Astrodome , the shelter used for hurricane evacuees, is located within the HISD boundaries. Many Katrina evacuees stayed for

7128-529: The tie-breaker in close calls). In smaller counties, the county judge actually does perform judicial duties, but in larger counties the judge's role is limited to serving on the commissioners court and certifying elections. Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters, but the commissioners court determines their office budgets, and sets overall county policy. All county elections are partisan. The Commissioners Courts in Texas are served and provided continued education by

7216-454: Was 10% lower than the district's own per pupil cost. A 2003 The New York Times report which asserted that HISD did not report school violence to the police created controversy in the community as teachers, students, and parents expressed concern about the district's downplaying of campus violence. HISD officials held a news conference after the publication of the story. During the conference, HISD asserted that The New York Times published

7304-484: Was a result of pressure from officials who claimed that she had given the appearance of criticizing the teaching of intelligent design . In 2009, the board received criticism from more than 50 scientific organizations over an attempt to weaken science standards on evolution . In October 2012, The Revisionaries , a documentary film about the re-election of the chairman of the Texas Board of Education Don McLeroy and

7392-445: Was named Colored High School (now Booker T. Washington High School ). At the time, the district's three secondary schools for black students had junior high and senior high levels. There were 12,217 students in the black schools in the 1929-1930 school year. William Henry Kellar, author of Make Haste Slowly: Moderates, Conservatives, and School Desegregation in Houston , wrote that conditions in black schools "improved dramatically" in

7480-469: Was rejected by the court system but white flight began by the 1970s. Circa 1972, a group of citizens in western Houston tried to form Westheimer Independent School District out of a portion of Houston ISD. It would have removed 23 square miles (60 km ) from the HISD territory. At the time 90% of the students in the area were white. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected

7568-406: Was released in 2018. In a grant application to the agency, TEA stated that they will not be able to ensure adequate services for special education students until June 2020. In September 2020, in the midst of several attempts to place Houston ISD under state control, TEA investigators recommended a state-appointed conservator be selected to oversee the district. The current commissioner of education

7656-439: Was superintendent, Hubert L. Mills, the business manager of the district, had immense political power in HISD. He had been in the employment of the district over one decade before Oberholtzer started. By the 1930s the two men were in a power struggle. The number of students in public schools in Houston increased from 5,500 in 1888 to over 8,850 in 1927. In the 1920s, the school district expanded its infrastructure to accommodate

7744-409: Was the largest racially segregated school system in the United States. In the mid-1960s Gertrude Barnstone and Black board member Hattie Mae White , the sole politically liberal members of the school board, often clashed with more conservative board members in meetings held on Monday nights; the two women made efforts to racially integrate the schools. During the 1960s, HISD's school board instituted

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