The Beaumont (Texas) school board is in charge of the district for the first time in almost six years, as the state has ended its involvement in the management of the district.
The Beaumont Enterprise reports that Jeff Cottrill, the deputy commissioner of governance and accountability for the Texas Education Agency, thanked Angela Bransford, the last state-appointed manager, for leading the school system.
“The board of managers set out with a task, and that task was to restore the financial stability and viability of this district,” said Cottrill. “And over the last years that has been done.”
The state assumed control of the Beaumont district in 2014.
Superintendent Shannon Allen lauded the return to local control.
“We have a big job — we understand that," Allen says. "We understand the task that is before us. And although it is challenging, that does not mean that we cannot do it … and do it well for our kids. It is about the success of our children.”
Although the state-appointed manager is leaving the district, a state-appointed conservator, Darrell Myers, remains to monitor the transition.
“When I came in in August of this year, it was pretty much a light touch situation, because most of the programs and the things that needed to happen were in place,” Myers says. “Now that we have transitioned to a local board, my job will be basically to help them transition back from a board of managers to local board of trustees and be there to support them and ensure they have what they need to be successful.”
