The troubled Kendleton Independent School District has been notified by the Texas Education Agency it will have its state accreditation revoked due to continued substandard academic ratings.
The district was formally classified as “Not Accredited: Revoked,” according to an announcement from the TEA yesterday.
The revocation was not unexpected for the struggling one-school district in southern Fort Bend County, which has been plagued with low test scores and dwindling financial resources for a number of years.
The district is expected to close effective July1 with students from Powell Point Elementary, the only school in the Kendleton district, transferring to Lamar Consolidated ISD. Currently, Kendleton junior high and high school students already attend schools in Lamar CISD.
Kendleton earned the dubious honor of becoming the first district to lose its accreditation since the accreditation system was implemented in 2006 under new legislative requirements.
In addition to Kendleton ISD, three charter schools also lost their accreditation. Those schools included Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington, Alphonso Crutch’s Life Support Center in Houston and Texas Preparatory School in San Marcos. Alphonso Crutch is currently not operating.
A district or charter with accreditation status of “Not Accredited: Revoked” may challenge the TEA’s decision. There is no word on whether Kendleton will appeal.
Commissioner of Education Robert Scott said the revocation of the schools’ accreditation came after years of substandard performance.
“This is an extremely serious step and it is not one that this agency takes lightly. Each of these districts or charters has exhibited years of extremely poor academic performance and/or ongoing financial problems,” Scott said. “Children and taxpayers deserve better.”
No one from Kendleton ISD was immediately available for comment on the TEA action and there was no mention of the accreditation revocation on the school district’s website as of late Wednesday night.
The TEA also gave 11 school districts or charter schools a classification of “Accredited: Warned, which is one step below full accreditation, because they either:
- were rated Academically Unacceptable in 2008 and 2009;
- received a Substandard Achievement or Suspended – Data Quality rating in the financial accountability system in 2008 and 2009; or
- had one year of poor ratings in both the state academic accountability system and the financial accountability system.
Two school districts – Mullin and Marathon – and three charter schools – Northwest Preparatory in Fort Worth, Houston Alternative Preparatory Charter School and Metro Academy of Math and Science in Arlington – were assigned a status of “Accredited: Probation.”The schools received the rating because they had poor academic and/or financial ratings in 2007, 2008 and 2009. If any of the schools earn additional substandard ratings next year, they could also face revocation of their accreditation.
“These five districts and charter schools must take decisive and effective action to turn this dire situation around,” Scott said.
TEA has not yet assigned an accreditation status to three school districts and 11 charter schools due to ongoing investigations that might affect the status assigned. In those instances, the accreditation status is reported as being withheld pending a final determination.
On a more positive note, 97 percent of all Texas school districts and charter schools received full accreditation status.
Scott announced 1,198 out of 1,232 districts and charters earned an “accredited” status from the TEA.
The state’s accreditation system examines both the financial and academic health of districts and charter schools. It also examines performance in other areas such as data reporting, special program effectiveness and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. This is the third year that an accreditation status has been issued for school districts and the second year a status has been assigned to charter schools.
“An overwhelming majority of our Texas school districts and charters are providing strong academic instruction to students and are appropriately handling public funds,” Scott said.
Under the accreditation system, ratings of Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation or Not Accredited-Revoked are issued. The status of a district or charter can be listed as pending if an investigation is under way.
The state’s accreditation system examines both the financial and academic health of districts and charter schools. It also examines performance in other areas such as data reporting, special program effectiveness, and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. This is the third year that an accreditation status has been issued for school districts and the second year a status has been assigned to charter schools.
Twenty districts or charters received a status below the accredited level, including the four that have been notified that they are losing their state accreditation.
12. March 2010 at 2:34 am
I am not sure that I know enough about what’s really happening to pinpoint exactly the crux of it all; however, since Rosenberg, has extended its jurisdiction regarding the rail restoration and influx of jobs for the touted economic growth in the area which is actually closer to Kendleton and Beasley than to the Rosenberg/Richmond area, it seems only logically to expect that Richmond/Rosenberg school district (Lamar CISD) will completely, absorb, what was once Kendleton ISD. With the touted impending growth in the Beasley-Kendleton area, seems like, an opportune time for the jurisdiction area being farther away from the area of actual growth, to, now, take Kendletoon ISD under its wings completely at this time. The Kendleton area’s school district has been struggling for at least the last 25 years so it is very nice and convenient for the entire school district to be rescued at this point; particularly, with the expected economic growth of the area happening in Kendleton’s own backyard. TEA is not above playing politics.
11. March 2010 at 10:37 am
I attended the texas school board convention a couple years ago. Most people do not realize how many school districts we have in Texas. It doesn’t seem to be efficient but power is everything, right? Even if we don’t know how to educate, we will – by golly – be the ones in charge. But, with the school property tax being the largest single property tax one pays you can understand how everyone wants a piece of the power pie.
This I might add is the main reason we cannot get appraisal creep reform passed. Everyone one in these small districts are on the gravy train and they vote. Compare it to the large metro areas and you get a balance of power that is in the rural area’s favor. With the exception of the top spots Gov, Lt Gov, US Senate, etc. Money from the metro’s wins on that, but still…we need help from our rural friends. Something to think about….