State poised for takeover of Shepherd Independent School District

Even though a court temporarily blocked a state takeover of the Shepherd Independent School District, school board members voted last week to essentially give up control of the four schools in their district, the Texas Tribune reported.

In an order issued on March 9, the Third Court of Appeals in Austin temporarily blocked a state takeover of the failing schools—two of which have been academically failing for a long time.

But the school board vote on March 13 essentially cleared the way for state education officials to oversee the operations of Shepherd Independent School District, the Texas Tribune reported.

Before the state can swear in its own board to manage the school, they need court approval.

If that occurs, it would be the first time a school district has been taken over by the state as a result of a 2015 law to improve long-failing school districts.

Two of the schools in the district in East Texas have been failing for years, and last year the state announced it would take over the Shepherd Independent School District.

The move caused consternation in the town, with many unsure what the state controlling the district would mean for the schools. Last November, Jeff Cottrill, the Deputy Commissioner of Governance and Accountability of TEA, explained to over 100 people in a meeting that a state takeover was necessary because multiple schools had failing ratings.  

He answered questions for hours about what a state takeover of the district would mean for the small community and how it would impact students and teachers.