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Editor’s note: Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, has resided in Jackson, Mississippi, for nearly 30 years. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion on CNN. CNN
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Headlines this week trumpeted the infuriating news that the state of Texas is planning to take over the Houston Independent School District, one of the largest and most diverse school populations in the nation, where 90% of pupils are black and brown. Austin state education officials plan to appoint a new board to manage schools in the district, usurping authority from local authorities. The move is apparently intended to address academic backlog in a school district that has seen a substantial drop in the number of failing schools in recent years. Takeover is a playbook all too familiar to residents of my home town of Jackson — Mississippi’s majority black capital — which has struggled for years against hostile takeover of aspects of its local governance. . The racist undertones of what is happening — in Jackson, Houston and elsewhere around the country — are undeniable and unacceptable. White leaders in Mississippi — in a state with the highest percentage of black citizens in the nation — are doing everything they can to ensure its black population remains second-class citizens. Last month, the Mississippi House restored racist precedent from a seemingly bygone era with the passage of HB 1020. The intent behind this legislation was to create a separate, unelected judiciary and expand the forces of police to people who live in Jackson. Republicans’ overwhelming majorities in the Mississippi state legislature give them the opportunity to push through racist legislation that Democrats — who represent a majority of black Mississippians — have no recourse against. This is the opposite of what democracy is supposed to be. Water is another weapon that has been used against blacks in Mississippi. For decades, residents of the capital Jackson, where 83% of the population is black, have struggled with a contaminated water supply that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says could become a ground fertile for E. coli and other pathogens. The problem escalated further in February 2021, when late winter storms damaged the city’s aging and deteriorating water system, leaving much of the city under a boil water alert. ‘water. Some residents found themselves without running water. But the problem is both systemic and institutional: for years, the state has underinvested in Jackson’s basic water supply infrastructure, turning a blind eye to the failings of the water supply system and the high levels of toxins such as lead, failing to provide even the basic maintenance of the infrastructure that black parents rely on to bathe their babies and operated by majority black schools for their water fountains. The reaction from our state leaders, including Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, has been to blame the victim, pointing the finger at Jackson for the alleged mismanagement of a water system that state officials n never funded enough. Eventually, in late 2022, the EPA stepped in, launching an investigation into Mississippi’s discriminatory water practices. But the state’s white leaders have once again obstructed efforts to improve the lives of its black citizens. The state Senate last month passed a law – SB 2889 – placing Jackson’s water under state control and siphoning off millions of dollars in new federal funding to help fix the failing infrastructure of the state. ‘water. Once again, the Republican-led white state government has gone out of its way to try to dispossess Jackson’s black residents. And now, with the passage of this legislation imposing decision-making power on majority black Republicans from Jackson to the Mississippi House of Representatives, a clear message has been sent: the principle of self-government on which our democracy was built does not apply to blacks. The Biden administration can take steps to reverse this brazen, high-handed action and can send the message that it will protect democratic governance for people of color who reside in states where they are not part of the political majority. To do so, however, he must set a new precedent for federal surveillance of states that systematically exercise state power to violate civil rights. Through the enforcement of civil rights and federal non-discrimination laws as a condition of distributing federal aid to Mississippi, the Biden administration must continue its work to restore Jackson’s integrity. And he must be equally aggressive in ending abuse in other states — such as Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Oklahoma — that have also taken various steps to control communities of color. Congress also has a role to play. It subsidizes states like Mississippi considerably. In my home state and elsewhere, Congress and the President should leverage the upcoming budget debate as a way to strengthen state civil rights laws as a requirement for states to access federal programs. For every dollar Mississippi pays in federal taxes, it receives $2.53 in federal aid, making it the third most federally dependent state. This gives the US government massive leverage over state government. Yet the funneling of federal infrastructure funds and other resources to states that actively seek to fund the basic needs of black and brown communities and minimize their political power is criminal. Racism is deeply ingrained in the fabric of Mississippi culture. When you try to disrupt it, you encounter resistance. One step forward is not progress, because it will always be accompanied by three, four, five or more steps back. Sadly, this is also the case in other southern states that seem to be adopting Mississippi’s despicable playbook. The Biden administration can no longer subsidize policy makers, like Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, and our state legislators, because they adopt clearly racist policies. State actions to suppress the rights of communities of color must not be tolerated in my state, or anywhere else. The federal government must continue to take aggressive action when a state’s white leaders oppose improving the lives of their most vulnerable citizens. cnn
Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.

Opinion: Republicans’ final race around black Mississippians is being copied in other states

Home » World » State Authorities Take Control of Houston School District
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Houston — Texas officials announced Wednesday that the state is taking control of the Houston school district, which with nearly 200,000 students is the eighth largest in the country, after years of threatening to do so. Also read: Fentanyl Overdose: Dallas ISD Seeks to Train Staff to Administer Narcan
The announcement, made by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, upset Democrats, who dismissed the decision as political. This would be one of the largest school district takeovers in the country. It also deepens the conflict between the largest city in Texas, where Democrats dominate locally, and the state’s Republican leadership, which has tried to wield greater authority after election fiascos and pandemic restrictions. In recent decades, other large cities such as Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Detroit have experienced state takeover of school districts, which is generally seen as a measure of last resort when it comes to poorly performing schools and often meets with pushback from the law. community. Also read: A Houston teacher is accused of locking her son in the trunk of the car
Critics argue that previous cases show that state interventions are of little use. The state began moving toward a takeover of the Houston Independent School District as early as 2019, following allegations of misconduct by board members, including improperly influencing vendor contracts, and a chronic trend of low grades at one of its 50 high schools. The district sued to block the takeover, but new education laws passed by the Republican-majority state Legislature and a January ruling by the Texas Supreme Court paved the way for the state takeover. . The issue has a racial edge because the vast majority of students in Houston schools are Hispanic or African-American. Domingo Morel, a professor of political science and public service at New York University, has studied the takeover of school districts nationwide and found that the political dynamics in Texas are similar to those in other states where state power has intervened. Houston’s demographics are similar, too, Morel said. “If it was about taking over school districts for poor performance, there would be a lot more takeovers, but that’s not what happens,” he said. Join our official channel on Telegram to receive the news of Al Día on your cell phone

State Authorities Take Control of Houston School District

Texas will take over Houston's public school district
By C Mandler
/ CBS News
Texas officials announced on Wednesday that they would be taking over Houston's public school district, which is the eighth-largest in the U.S., deepening existing tensions between local Democratic leaders and the Republican majority-held statehouse. In a letter sent to the superintendent and board members of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), Education Commissioner Mike Morath said that the recipients of the letter would be replaced with a new superintendent and board of managers chosen by the Texas Education Authority (TEA), and who will be officially instated on June 1. People hold up signs at a news conference on March 3 in Houston while protesting the proposed takeover of the city's school district by the Texas Education Agency. Juan A. Lozano / AP
Morath alleges that the board failed to improve student performance in Houston, citing Wheatley High School, which received a failing grade from the TEA in 2019, as an example. Additionally, Morath accuses the board of holding "chaotic board meetings marred by infighting," adding that an investigation revealed "multiple violations of law in the district." "The district's approach to supporting students with disabilities also continues to violate state and federal law," wrote Morath, who referenced "significant systemic compliance problems, including an ongoing inability to provide special education services to students without delays." State Democratic lawmakers called the takeover "tragic" and "undignified" in a press conference following the morning's announcement:
"Today is a very — and I emphasize very — dark day for HISD and the many Black and Brown students and communities that are within HISD," said state Rep. Ron Reynolds, Chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, who emphasized that the takeover was coming even after demonstrated "continued exemplary growth" in the last five years. "Taking over the district now, despite all of this, is dead wrong," Reynolds said, adding that students and teachers would be "paying the price." The ACLU condemned the takeover, writing on Twitter that the "hostile takeover threatens to close schools, drive out teachers, and take away the power of local communities to elect their own leaders," in a city already burdened by teacher shortages . BREAKING: State officials will seize control of Houston ISD, the biggest school district in Texas. This hostile takeover threatens to close schools, drive out teachers, and take away the power of local communities to elect their own leaders. "The state takeover of HISD is not about public education — it's about political control of a 90 percent Black and brown student body in one of the country's most diverse cities. And it's not what our students and teachers need," continued the ACLU. The Texas State Teachers Association also spoke out against the takeover, which it called an "injustice to students and educators," in a statement posted to Facebook. "The commissioner is not responsible to HISD parents and taxpayers," wrote the Teachers Association of Morath. "He is responsible only to Gov. Greg Abbott, whose top education priority is taking millions of dollars in tax money from HISD and other public-school districts and transferring it to unregulated private schools. Abbott is less interested in supporting HISD and other public schools than he is in privatizing them." TSTA: State takeover is an injustice to HISD students and educators (3-5-21). To view on our website go to https://tsta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/20230315TSTA-State-takeover-HISD.pdf
The Teachers Association also notes that the takeover is due in part to student performance on a standardized test called STARR, which they say "isn't - and never has been - an accurate measure of student progress." While student progress in Houston has indeed faltered post-pandemic, that trend is not specific to the city, as performance in schools across the country struggles to rebound to 2019 data. In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that math and reading test scores declined nationwide post-pandemic. Scores for fourth and eighth graders in both categories dropped significantly from their 2019 counterparts, with math scores showing  their biggest decline  since initial assessments in 1990, and reading scores at  their lowest in three decades . Trending News

Texas will take over Houston's public school district

JW
Wed., March 15, 2023timer2 min. read
HOUSTON (AP) — Texas officials on Wednesday announced a state takeover of Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school district, the eighth-largest in the country, acting on years of threats and angering Democrats who assailed the move as political. The announcement, made by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, amounts to one of the largest school takeovers ever in the U.S. It also deepens a high-stakes rift between Texas’ largest city, where Democrats wield control locally and state Republican leaders have sought increasing authority in the wake of election fumbles and pandemic restrictions. Other big cities including Philadelphia , New Orleans and Detroit in recent decades have gone through state takeovers, which are generally viewed as last resorts for underperforming schools and are often met with community backlash. Critics argue that past outcomes show little improvement following state interventions. The state began making moves toward a takeover of the Houston Independent School District in 2019, following allegations of misconduct by school trustees, including inappropriate influencing of vendor contracts, and chronically low academic scores at one of its roughly 50 high schools. The district sued to block a takeover, but new education laws subsequently passed by the GOP-controlled state Legislature and a January ruling from the Texas Supreme Court cleared the way for the state to seize control. Schools in Houston are not under mayoral control, unlike in cities such as New York or Chicago, but as expectations of a takeover mounted, the city’s Democratic leaders unified in opposition. Most of Houston’s school board members have been replaced since 2019. District officials also say the state is ignoring academic strides made across city schools. Race is also an issue because the overwhelming majority of students in Houston schools are Hispanic or Black. Domingo Morel, a professor of political science and public services at New York University, has studied school takeovers nationwide and said the political dynamics in Texas are similar to where states have intervened elsewhere. The demographics in Houston, Morel said, are also similar. “If we just focus on taking over school districts because they underperform, we would have a lot more takeovers,” Morel said. “But that’s not what happens.“
____

Texas announces takeover of Houston schools, stirring anger

District officials say the state is ignoring academic strides made across city schools
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Juan A. Lozano/Associated Press
FILE – People hold up signs at a news conference, Friday, March 3, 2023, in Houston while protesting the proposed takeover of the city’s school district by the Texas Education Agency. Texas officials on Wednesday, March 15, announced a state takeover of Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school district, the eighth-largest in the country, acting on years of threats and angering Democrats who assailed the move as political. (AP Photo/Juan A. Lozano)
| UPDATED:
By Juan A. Lozano and Paul J. Weber | Associated Press
HOUSTON — Texas officials on Wednesday announced a state takeover of Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school district, the eighth-largest in the country, acting on years of threats and angering Democrats who assailed the move as political. The announcement, made by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, amounts to one of the largest school takeovers ever in the U.S. It also deepens a high-stakes rift between Texas’ largest city, where Democrats wield control locally and state Republican leaders have sought increasing authority in the wake of election fumbles and pandemic restrictions. Other big cities including Philadelphia, New Orleans and Detroit in recent decades have gone through state takeovers, which are generally viewed as last resorts for underperforming schools and are often met with community backlash. Critics argue that past outcomes show little improvement following state interventions. The state began making moves toward a takeover of the Houston Independent School District in 2019, following allegations of misconduct by school trustees, including inappropriate influencing of vendor contracts, and chronically low academic scores at one of its roughly 50 high schools. The district sued to block a takeover, but new education laws subsequently passed by the GOP-controlled state Legislature and a January ruling from the Texas Supreme Court cleared the way for the state to seize control. Schools in Houston are not under mayoral control, unlike in cities such as New York or Chicago, but as expectations of a takeover mounted, the city’s Democratic leaders unified in opposition.Most of Houston’s school board members have been replaced since 2019. District officials also say the state is ignoring academic strides made across city schools. Race is also an issue because the overwhelming majority of students in Houston schools are Hispanic or Black. Domingo Morel, a professor of political science and public services at New York University, has studied school takeovers nationwide and said the political dynamics in Texas are similar to where states have intervened elsewhere. The demographics in Houston, Morel said, are also similar. “If we just focus on taking over school districts because they underperform, we would have a lot more takeovers,” Morel said. “But that’s not what happens.”
Weber reported from Austin, Texas.

Texas moves to take over Houston schools, sparking outrage

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`` The NASA-HISD externship is a key element of this partnership and provides HISD educators with the opportunity to have an immersive professional development centered around NASA mission content and NASA subject matter experts , '' said Michele Hooks , NASA .

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