North Forest group asks Governor Perry to replace school board

By Gilbert Hoffman
NORTH FOREST– A group of about 40 persons from the North Forest area travelled to Austin last Thursday, to publicly protest educational conditions in the North Forest school district, and to meet with Governor Perry’s staff to present a petition to replace the board.
Later in the day, the governor issued a statement indicating “he was confident in TEA’s efforts to ensure that every student deserves the opportunity to learn and succeed, as is the case in North Forest. However at a point in time, the commissioner of education has the authority, and I think the responsibility, to step in if there has been a failure to educate the children in an appropriate manner.”
NEEF indicated to the Northeast News, in an interview after the meeting, that the group will meet again and plans to continue in their efforts.
After contentious school board meetings over the last few months, and warnings to the district by the Texas Education Agency that their accreditation is pending and perhaps at risk, citizens in North Forest have issued a press release directed toward Governor Rick Perry.
The intention is to get the TEA to act to replace the present school board and bring the problems to a quicker resolution than is presently occuring.
The Text of the Press Release, with some editing, is as follows:

What: Protect and Save Our Children not the North Forest School Board.
The Community calls for Governor Perry and TEA to establish a Board of Managers for North Forest ISD.
Evidence of the need for a board of managers in North Forest ISD:
• $5+ million budget deficit, $7.3 million owed to TEA, & a $17 million projected deficit for the end of this fiscal year
• Failure of North Forest ISD Board of Trustees to identify a competent superintendent for the school district. The district has operated for a year without a superintendent. The Board of Trustees has failed to attract a superintendent with a track record for success. Instead, the board spent $9,200 on a national search only to attempt to rehire the superintendent fired by the board a year ago. During the former superintendent’s tenure 8 out of 11 schools were academically unacceptable, ADA was grossly overstated for 2 consecutive years, & several false or erroneous multi-million dollar accounting entries were made contributing to the district’s financial decline.
• Failure of North Forest ISD Board of Trustees to protect the needs of students in Special Education resulting in TEA’s assignment of an academic conservator.
• Failure of North Forest ISD Board of Trustees to make appropriate financial decisions after a year of support from TEA’s financial conservator.
The Community’s approach to solving the problem:
The community recognizes that they must become a partner with the educational authorities to ensure that the education of the children in North Forest becomes a priority. Given the failure of local authorities, the community seeks the aid of state authorities to ensure student education. Specifically, the community requests a board of managers as permitted under Subchapter G. Accreditation Sanctions 39.131. Sanctions for Districts subsection b.
(b) This subsection applies regardless of whether a district has satisfied the accreditation criteria. If for a period of one year or more a district has had a conservator or management team assigned, the commissioner may appoint a board of managers, a majority of whom must be residents of the district, to exercise the powers and duties of the board of trustees.
We deserve better…..
Northeast Education First is a community-based movement to ensure that northeast Houston school districts, and in particular North Forest ISD, provide a high quality education for children. The initiative recognizes that the NF children are trapped in schools that do not educate and that the community must play a role in resolving this crisis.
It is focused on the community creating expectations of student performance, the community understanding how the students currently compare to high performing students in the state, the community understanding the reform options that can deliver the quality education, and the educational authorities building confidence in the community that proposed reform solutions will work.
The Initiative is made up of the following community groups:
The Initiative includes: Northeast Beyond 2000/GHDI; Super Neighborhood 47 – E. Little York/Homestead; Super Neighborhood 48 – Trinity/Houston Gardens; Super Neighborhood 49/50 – E. Houston/Settegast.
Partners of the Initiative embrace this new approach to involve the community in finding a solution including:
State Rep. Harold Dutton, Council Member Jarvis Johnson, former Trustees Albert Coleman, Fran Gentry, Maxine Seals, and Mae Sikes.
Northeast Education First – is a group of concerned community leaders, business leaders, ministers, parents, residents, and students who are committed to ensuring that the children of North Forest AND Northeast Houston receive the education that they need and so DESERVE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 832.731.6662.