Business & Finance

Texas removes superintendent and school board from struggling district (with Video)

The La Marque district has been saddled with poor academic and financial performance
Sept. 24, 2015
2 min read

Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams has ordered the removal of the school board and superintendent in the La Marque school district.

The Galveston County Daily News reports that the schools will remain open, and Williams will assign a board of managers to govern the 2,500-student district.

The district posted a message on its web site late Wednesday acknowledging reports circulating about the state's action, but said it had not received official word from the Texas Education Agency about any ousters.

The education commissioner’s decision comes about seven months after Williams announced he would revoke the school district’s accreditation and that shut down the school district. The accreditation was revoked because the district had consecutive years of either poor academic or financial ratings.

District officials persuaded Williams earlier this year to hold off on closing the district until all test scores were reviewed. Williams agreed, but only under specific conditions. One condition was that La Marque waived the right to appeal the commissioner’s ultimate decision.

Earlier this month, the district received good news when it achieved its a "Met Standard" academic rating, its first since 2010-2011. But the next day the district was given a Substandard Achievement financial rating for the 2014-2015.

VIDEO from KPRC-TV:

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

Sign up for American School & University Newsletters