Courtney RosenthalJul 29, 2023

You may have heard that Houston schools plan to convert libraries to disciplinary centers and fire the librarians.

What you may not have heard is that the State of Texas took over the Houston school district and installed its own superintendent.

That's the guy who is closing libraries. This is not something local residents want, and the superintendent is not locally accountable,

#txpol #texas #houston #library #libraries

Show threadTexas ObserverJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney our Fellow @josephinelee has been doing important coverage of this. https://www.texasobserver.org/teachers-strong-armed-to-get-on-board-with-houston-schools-takeover/
Teachers Strong-Armed to Get on Board with Houston Schools Takeover

Instructors face job losses for failing to sign up for the New Education System.

The Texas Observer
Show threadJennifer Deseo
@TexasObserver @oh_that_courtney @josephinelee Can the state education agency take over individual school districts under the “Death Star” bill? Asking for a non-Texan.
Jul 29, 2023 at 7:20pmWeb
Show threadJoeChipJul 30, 2023

@jdeseo

They can literally do anything unless somebody stops them. This is the secret sauce of fascism.
@TexasObserver @oh_that_courtney @josephinelee

Show threadJosephine LeeJul 30, 2023
@jdeseo @TexasObserver @oh_that_courtney Not under the Death Star bill exactly. But under the state is using TX HB 1842 to takeover the Houston school district, citing that ONE school did not pass state accountability ratings several year ago, even though that particular school has been up to standards recently. I wrote more about that here: https://www.texasobserver.org/wheatley-houston-isd-takeover-privatization-texas/
Houston ISD Takeover Is a Trojan Horse for Privatization

Leaders of low-income communities of color worry the state’s power grab could deepen inequalities at schools like Wheatley High.

The Texas Observer