K-12 Zone
North Forest ISD gets to stay open
By Ericka Mellon on March 30, 2012 at 4:35 PM
The long-troubled North Forest school district will not have to shut down after all, with Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott granting it a rare reprieve Friday.
Scott said he would give the northeast Houston district one year to improve. In July he ordered the district to close at the start of the 2012-2013 school year.
District officials, supported by several elected officials, had appealed Scott's order. He said at the time that he was concerned for the long-term education of the students in the district, which has had academic and financial problems over the last two decades.
"We do think that the district has made some improvements under this current superintendent, and there's some legal issues that prompted this decision," Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for Scott, said late Friday after the decision was announced.
Stay tuned for more details about the deal.
UPDATE: The Houston Independent School District, which Scott had ordered to annex North Forest next year, issued this statement after Scott's announcement:
Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott notified the Houston Independent School District today that he is withdrawing his plan for HISD to annex the North Forest ISD for the 2012-2013 school year.
In July 2011, Scott notified both districts that he wanted HISD to annex the 7,500-student North Forest ISD in July 2012, but that is no longer an option, according to the Texas Education Agency.
In his letter, Commissioner Scott left open the possibility of ordering HISD to annex North Forest in July 2013.
"From the time Commissioner Scott announced his annexation plan last summer, HISD has been clear that while we have not sought this action, we stand ready to abide by any decision he makes," said Superintendent Terry Grier. "HISD will continue making the success of all the students we serve the driving force behind every decision we make as a district."
UPDATE (5:47 p.m.): North Forest ISD has weighed in with a statement:
"The Board of Trustees for the North Forest Independent School District is pleased with the decision announced today by the Texas Education Agency to allow NFISD another year to demonstrate it can sustain recent improvements that are already in progress. This is an opportunity for the Board and Superintendent to continue their work improving the district's academic and financial accountability. The TEA noted that while the district has experienced problems in the past, it is making steady progress now toward solving them. The agency's order says that if NFISD continues its progress, the order to merge it with the Houston School District will be withdrawn. This is a remarkable victory for the students, parents, teachers and the community of North Forest."
Ericka Mellon