By: Georgia Provost
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) was created in l949 to oversee primary and secondary public education. It was to provide leadership, guidance, and support to school systems. No Resources? Why is Texas ranked #40 in Education?
First, we must acknowledge that education was never designed for Colored/Negro people. It was a law prohibiting Colored/Negro people to read. Has the Commissioner met with Superintendent Millard House ll to review his magnificent five (5) year plan for HISD, celebrating l00 years as of March 23, 2023, established in l923?
TEA took over 15 school districts, students who were Black and Brown like HISD, and 93% are Black and Brown students, and not one of the 15 school districts’ academic ratings improved.
Commissioner Mike Morath served as a trustee on the Dallas ISD school board. What was his record? What is TEA’s success record for the past decade? Where was TEA when it was mandatory that Colored/Negro students missed school to pick cotton in Texas?
Where was TEA when they closed historical Black high schools in Texas and placed the Black principals on the custodian staff or as bus drivers? Where was TEA when they transferred the highly qualified experienced Black teachers to the white schools and placed inexperienced, not qualified white teachers to the Colored/Negro schools? Where was TEA when they removed all vocational programs from the Black schools?
Where was TEA when the former HISD superintendent Dr. Grier closed the schools in the Black and Brown neighborhoods? TEA has no knowledge of the cultural or the environment of the Black and Brown students enrolled in HISD. Many don’t know where their next meal will come from or if they will have food for the weekend. Some are homeless and many do not have health insurance. Therefore, they missed school because they are sick, need eyeglasses, and the list goes on.
The best way for Texas to help improve the academic performance of Houston ISD students is not through a state takeover but through a larger financial investment. It starts at the top! Black and Brown are not appointed to serve on state boards or agencies. Those that are appointed by the Governor are ill-prepared to serve all Texans.
