Snyder ISD Superintendent Dr. Eddie Bland told board members Tuesday that following last week’s rejection of the district’s dual-pathway plan for campus reorganization by Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, a partnership with a educational company seems the best option to avoid takeover of Snyder Junior High School by the state.
“It’s a Senate Bill 1882 partnership. You sign a partnership with them, and they come in and give academic support,” Bland said. “There’s a contract process whenever we go with them, and that would all be decided in those contract negotiations, what that curriculum would look like.”
Bland said he hopes to contract with the partner, Responsive Education Solutions of Lewisville, by the end of February, but that will require a deadline extension by TEA.
“The negotiation process is going to take a little bit of time,” he said. “That’s with any contract.”
Bland said sources in TEA have informed him that the district will likely be able to receive an extension to the Jan. 30 deadline, given that they are already in preliminary talks with Responsive Education Solutions.
Bland said he likes Responsive’s approach to education.
“I feel much better about it after getting the opportunity to visit with them,” he said. “We have to own where we are. We’ve got to be better. We really did put a lot of time and effort into our plan for the re-alignment and the commissioner said ‘no.’ I still believe in local control and our board is still in control. I know that the whole group is committed to do what’s best for kids, and that’s what I left there after having that conversation with them. Responsive Ed is committed to doing what’s best for students. They care about students. That was a relief to me. They are in the student business, they’re not in the private money-making business.”
Trustees voted to participate in TEA’s Lone Star Governance’s Exemplar Cohort plan, which will involve training and team-building sessions for board members as well as monthly implementation support and quarterly self-evaluation support. The plan also includes reimbursement of up to $6,000 for expenses related to Lone Star Governance
The school board met for about 45 minutes in closed session at the onset of the meeting to discuss personnel matters, but took no action.
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