SNYDER and AUSTIN, Texas — The Snyder ISD met with Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on Thursday. The Snyder Junior High had five years in a row of unacceptable accountability rankings.
State regulators previously told Snyder ISD that either the junior high campus would be ordered to close or a board of managers would be appointed to govern the district.
Related Story: Snyder ISD meeting with commissioner in Austin to discuss options for junior high school
Snyder ISD asked that state regulators allow the school to stay open with a grade re-alignment.
The following is a statement from Snyder ISD:
November 7, 2019 Snyder, Texas – An eagerly awaited meeting with Snyder ISD leadership and the TEA Commissioner came to fruition in Austin [Thusday]. Eddie Bland, Ed.D., Superintendent of Snyder ISD, Ralph Ramon SISD Board of Trustees President, and Brad Hinton, SISD Board of Trustees Vice President, met with Commissioner Mike Morath to discuss sanctions against the district for Snyder Junior High’s academic rating. Texas Education Code §39A. 112(b) allows for parent petitions to direct the Commissioner’s decision.
On October 31, 2019, Dr. Bland was presented with 313 petitions, a sufficient number to require the closure of the campus. In addition to the parent petitions for closure, Dr. Bland was presented with 486 parent and community petitions supporting the reopening of Snyder Junior High with a grade realignment.
The petitions will be delivered to the Commissioner no later than December 1, 2019. The next step will require SISD to develop and submit a comprehensive plan to reopen the campus, with the majority of the
grades realigned.
“These next steps will require planning and partnership,” states Dr. Bland.
“We look forward to collaborating with parents, teachers, district leadership, community members, and the TEA to do what is best for our students.”
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