* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: "Mayor Turner Updates Media About TEA Takover of HISD"] [00:00:18] MAYOR, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS VERY TROUBLING TO YOU THAT THE TEA IS TAKING OVER HISD. UH, IT IS, IT'S, IT IS TROUBLING. IT'S, UM, IT'S NOT UNEXPECTED. I MEAN, BASED ON THE SOURCES, UH, THAT I HAVE AND INFORMATION THAT I RECEIVED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, UH, THEY TOLD ME THAT, UM, AS OF TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, TA TEA HAD ALREADY MADE ITS DECISION, UH, TO TAKE OVER HIHD, UH, TO, UM, TAKE OVER THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, UH, TO REMOVE THE SUPERINTENDENT. UM, SO THAT WAS INFORMATION THAT I RECEIVED, UM, AND WHAT IT, WHAT TODAY DEMONSTRATES THAT THAT, UH, THE INFORMATION I KNOW THAT I GOT WAS CORRECT. THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN STOP IT AT THIS POINT, CORRECT? WELL, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SAYING THAT THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN STOP IT. UH, IT'S ONE THING TO REPLACE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT THERE'S SOME MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS HERE, UH, PARENTS AND, AND STUDENTS, UH, BEING TWO MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS AND PARENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO SAY WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THEIR SCHOOLS, UH, THAT THEIR CHILDREN ATTEND. TEACHERS, UH, CAFETERIA WORKERS, CUSTODIANS, BUS DRIVERS. UM, THEY ARE MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS. AND IF THE TEACHERS AND, UH, THE, BY THE BUS DRIVERS AND THE PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS, UH, EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO, UM, THEIR VOICES, UM, THEN YOU SIMPLY CAN'T HAVE A SUCCESSFUL TAKEOVER, UM, BY THE STATE WITHOUT THOSE STATE MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS, UH, BEING IN THE LOOP. IT'S UNFORTUNATE. I WILL SAY THAT THE PARENTS AND THE TEACHERS HAVE NOT BEEN TALKED TO. THERE'S BEEN NO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THERE'S BEEN NO PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT INTERACTION. UH, SO THAT'S BEEN DISAPPOINTING. DO YOU THINK THERE'S BEEN A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY THROUGH ALL OF THIS? I THINK THERE'S BEEN A HUNDRED PERCENT LACK OF TRANSPARENCY. UM, TEA, THE GOVERNOR, UH, THE HEAD OF THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY HAVE NOT MADE ANY COMMENTS UP TO TODAY, UM, IN PUBLIC. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN HOUSTON. IT'S ONE THING TO BE FAR AWAY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. IT'S ANOTHER THING TO BE HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TALKING DIRECTLY, UH, TO THE PARENTS AND STUDENTS, LETTING THEM KNOW OR GIVING THEM SOME INDICATION AS TO, UH, THE ACTION THEY ARE CONTEMPLATING IN TAKING, WHY THEY'RE CONTEMPLATING TAKING THOSE ACTIONS, ESPECIALLY THE, CONSIDERING THE FACT THIS IS NOT 2019. 'CAUSE IN 2019, A LOT OF US, INCLUDING MYSELF, HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE DIRECTION OF HISD, INCLUDING MYSELF, AND WAS CRITICAL OF THE DIRECTION IN WHICH HISD WAS HEADING. SOME FOUR YEARS LATER, YOU HAVE A NEW SUPERINTENDENT. YOU PRETTY MUCH HAVE A NEW BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 40 OF THE 50 SCHOOLS THAT WERE RECEIVING DS OR FS RATINGS, UH, HAVE ADVANCED DOING MUCH BETTER. UH, ONE OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUESTION IS NO LONGER FAILING, DOING BETTER. THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE HAS A B PLUS RATING AND IN EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY, UM, THEY'RE DOING MUCH BETTER THAN THE, THE, SAY, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DALLAS. SO, UM, THIS IS NOT THE SAME SCHOOL DISTRICT UNDER THE SAME MANAGEMENT THAT EXISTED IN 2019 BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID. THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE QUESTIONING WHY THIS IS EVEN GOING ON RIGHT NOW. THAT IS WHY, THAT IS WHY I AM BEING MUCH MORE ENGAGED NOW, UM, THAN I WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUR YEARS AGO. I UNDERSTOOD THE CONCERNS AND HAD CONCERNS WHERE THE DISTRICT WAS IN 2019, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DATA, AND YOU HAVE SCHOOLS THAT ARE IN MOST 40 OF THOSE 50 SCHOOLS IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE, UM, THE ONE SCHOOL THAT THEY KEEP REPORTING TO IS IN A, IS IN A BETTER PLACE. AND YOU HAVE A NEW SUPERINTENDENT, AND NO ONE, I HAVE NOT HEARD THE STATE OR ANYONE CRITICIZE THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS SUPERINTENDENT. AND YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT SCHOOL BOARD IN LARGE PART. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT IS POLITICAL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT THE GOVERNOR THAT HE'S PUSHING VOUCHERS, AND NOW HERE THE, [00:05:01] THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN THE STATE IS BEING TAKEN OVER BY THE STATE. I MEAN, DO YOU THINK THAT POLITICS IS ABSOLUTELY. COME ON THAT A ABSOLUTELY, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE VOUCHERS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT A NUMBER OF, AT THE, A NUMBER OF BILLS FILED IN THE LEGISLATURE, THEY ARE BILLS THAT ARE PREEMPTING THE AUTHORITY OF CITIES AND COUNTIES. YOU LOOK AT THE BILLS THAT ARE FILED IN THIS LEGISLATURE, THERE ARE BILLS THAT SAY TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AUSTIN, DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, THAT YOU CANNOT EVEN GOVERN YOUR CITIES IN LARGE PART UNLESS GIVEN AN EXPRESS APPROVAL BY THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HISD, IF THIS IS A MOVE TO TAKE OVER FOR THE STATE TO ESSENTIALLY BE CALLING THE JOHNSON AND RUNNING YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT. NOW LET ME JUST, LET ME, LET ME POSE THIS QUESTION, WHICH I HOPE YOU WILL POSE TO TEA AND TO THE STATE OF TEXAS. NOW THAT YOU ARE MOVING TO TAKE OVER HISD, OTHER THAN REPLACING THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND THE SUPERINTENDENT, WHAT OTHER RESOURCES ARE YOU BRINGING TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT'S GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT OUTCOME? BECAUSE WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, THE WAY I WOULD READ IT IS THE STATE IS SAYING, WE ARE GOING TO COMMIT TO YOU THAT THERE WILL BE NO FAILING SCHOOLS IN HISD. NONE. OKAY. WHAT OTHER GOALS THAT THEY ARE SEEKING TO ACHIEVE, WHAT ARE THE BENCHMARKS BY WHICH WE SHOULD MEASURE THEIR PERFORMANCE? AND WHAT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WILL YOU BE BRINGING TO HID WRITE DOWN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS IN TERMS OF DOLLARS AND CENTS RECEIVE LESS THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. AND IN THE REPORT THAT WAS DONE BY THE KINDER INSTITUTE, THEY INDICATED, AND THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SUCCESSFUL STATE TAKEOVER OF THE SIZE OR, UH, ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THE SIZE OF HID, NOT A ONE. SO AS TEA, YOU TELL THEM TO TELL THEIR PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS WHERE THERE HAS BEEN A SUCCESSFUL TAKEOVER OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE SIZE OF HID OR ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THE SIZE THAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. BUT WHAT THE DATA DOES SAY IS THAT WHEN YOU PUT MORE RESOURCES INTO THESE SCHOOLS, WHEN YOU PUT MORE RESOURCES, THE STUDENTS WILL DO BETTER. DO YOU KNOW YET HOW IT WILL PHYSICALLY ACTUALLY HAPPEN? I MEAN, WILL PEOPLE FROM AUSTIN COME HERE TO HOUSTON? WILL THEY HAVE THE BOARD MEETINGS INSTEAD OF THE BOARD MEMBERS? I MEAN, DO YOU KNOW HOW IT WILL WORK? I THINK THOSE ARE GOOD QUESTIONS. YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK THEY'VE, THEY HAD ONLINE APPLICATIONS OR THERE'VE BEEN APPLICATIONS FOR THE BOARD OF MANAGERS WHO WILL BE SELECTING THOSE BOARD OF MANAGERS. WHAT ROLE WILL THE PARENTS HAVE IN THE SELECTION OF THOSE BOARD OF MANAGERS? AND YOU'RE NOT JUST TAKING, THEY'RE NOT JUST TAKING OVER ONE SCHOOL. THERE ARE 273 SCHOOLS IN HISD 273. OKAY. OR TAKING, BASICALLY YOU'RE SAYING THE MANAGERS ARE GOING TO BE RUNNING THE ENTIRE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF HISD AND BY HOW ARE WE TO MEASURE THEIR PERFORMANCE? AND WHO DO THEY REPORT TO? DO THEY REPORT TO THE PARENTS? DO THEY REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES? OR DO THEY REPORT TO THE STATE OF TEXAS AND AUSTIN AND WHO WILL CALL THE SHOTS? WILL AUSTIN BE CALLING THE SHOTS ON THESE BOARD OF MANAGERS AND WHEN AND ABOUT AND THEN WHO DISMISSES THEM? SUPPOSE THEIR PERFORMANCE IS UNDER PAR. ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS ARE WITHOUT ANSWERS RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, THE, THE, THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON ARE REALLY LOSING A LOT AS FAR AS THEY'VE LOST THEIR VOICE. THEY CAN NO LONGER GO TO THE POLL AND SAY, HEY, I LIKE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS SO AND SO, I WANT TO KEEP HIM, I WANT TO REPLACE HIM. RIGHT. I MEAN, IT'S LIKE THAT, THAT'S NOT EVEN, YEAH, THEY, THE STATE HAS DISREGARDED THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. ESSENTIALLY, THEY HAVE SAID TO THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY, IN THIS CITY, WE DON'T TRUST YOU TO SELECT THE RIGHT PEOPLE. COULD SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THE SESSION IS STILL GOING ON RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, COULD SOMETHING BE DONE NOW IN THIS SESSION TO CHANGE THIS? OR, UM, THERE, THERE ARE BILLS THAT HAVE BEEN FILED BY LOCAL LEGISLATORS, UM, THAT WOULD HAVE, UM, [00:10:01] PREVENTED THIS FROM HAPPENING. I DON'T KNOW AT THIS POINT WITH THE STA WITH THE ACTION THAT TEA HAS TAKEN, UM, WHAT THE IMPACT OF THE EFFECT OF THOSE BILLS WILL HAVE. BUT WHAT I WILL SAY TO YOU, WITHOUT THE PARENTS, WITHOUT THE STUDENTS, THE TEACHERS, THE CAFETERIA WORKERS, THE CUSTODIANS AND THE BUS DRIVERS, THIS CANNOT OCCUR SUCCESSFULLY. WHAT'S THE THING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO, I MEAN, THERE'S SO MANY UNKNOWN THINGS, BUT WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO, TO LET PARENTS WHAT I WOULD SAY TO TO, TO PARENTS, UM, YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO DETERMINE WHO'S GONNA BE RUNNING YOUR SCHOOLS AND WHO'S GONNA BE RUNNING THIS DISTRICT. YOUR VOICES DO MATTER. I WANT PARENTS UNDERSTAND YOUR VOICES DO MATTER. I DON'T CARE IF IT'S HISD LOCALLY OR THE STATE OF TEXAS. PEOPLE ARE TO BE TALKING TO YOU, TO THE PARENTS, TO THE STUDENTS. I WOULD SAY TO THE TEACHERS, YOUR VOICES MATTER. NO DISTRICT CAN RUN SUCCESSFULLY IF THE TEACHERS ARE NOT AT THE TABLE. YOU MENTIONED EARLIER TODAY THAT, UM, YOU, YOU'VE HEARD THAT A NEW SUPERINTENDENT MIGHT BE THAT CEA ALREADY HAS SOMEONE, UM, PICKED OUT. UM, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE YOU HEARD THAT FROM AND HOW YOU CAME INTO THAT INFORMATION? THE SAME INFORMATION THAT I RECEIVED TWO WEEKS AGO THAT SAID THAT, UH, T-E-A-T-E-A HAD ALREADY MADE THIS MINE UP AND TAKEN OVER THE HID AND REMOVING THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT THAT THEY ALREADY HAD AN INDIVIDUAL. THEY ALSO INDICATED THAT THERE WAS AN INDIVIDUAL THAT THEY ALREADY HAD IN MIND, UM, TO BE THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THAT PERSON WAS COMING OUT OF DALLAS. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT PERSON? I KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT I'M GONNA HOLD FOR RIGHT THEN. SURE. SO THE, I'M SORRY, THAT WAS MIKE MORRIS WHO TOLD YOU THAT? OR LEGISLATORS? NO, NOT, IT WASN'T MIKE MORRIS. IT WAS THE SAME SOURCES THAT TOLD ME THAT TEA HAD MADE THE DECISION TO TAKE OVER H-S-H-I-S-D AND THE SOURCES THAT ARE TELLING YOU THINGS SO FAR, THEY'VE DONE WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING, CORRECT? WELL, THEY'RE COMING OUT OF AUSTIN. BEAR IN MIND I WAS IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS FOR 27 YEARS. RELATIONSHIPS DON'T END JUST BECAUSE I'M MAYOR. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE AND SOME OF THEM HAPPEN TO BE RE A LOT OF THEM REPUBLICANS, RELATIONSHIPS DO MATTER. AND, UM, PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED ENOUGH THAT THEY STARTED CALLING ME. THEY THOUGHT THAT, UH, THEY THOUGHT THAT IS MAYOR SHOULD OF HOUSTON. I SHOULD KNOW. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU OFFICER, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.