TEA Chief Circumvents State Board Charter School Veto

Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams has used his waiver authority to effectively overrule a vote by the State Board of Education to deny an Arizona-based charter school's expansion into the Dallas area, according to an email obtained by The Texas Tribune on Wednesday.

In December, the 15-member elected board voted 9 to 6 to veto Great Hearts Academies' application to open a new school in Dallas, citing concerns about the school's commitment to serving low-income students and to teaching Texas curriculum standards. The organization had already received approval for a campus in San Antonio, which is set to open this fall.

"I have no confidence, really, in the Great Hearts organization," board member Mavis Knight, D-Dallas, said at the time. She has led opposition to the charter school.

Williams, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, has issued no official statement on his decision. Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, confirmed that the commissioner had approved additional campuses in Dallas and Irving. Because the state had previously approved a charter contract for a San Antonio campus, Ratcliffe said, Great Hearts was able to apply for an expansion even after the SBOE vetoed its application for a new Dallas campus. In approving the new campuses, Williams waived a Texas Education Code requirement that charter schools must have been operating for at least four years, or hold "acceptable" or higher ratings under the state's accountability system before they are granted an expansion.

More at http://www.texastribune.org/2014/07/02/tea-chief-goes-around-state-board-charter-school-v/ .