With 27 amendments down and 23 (and growing) to go, the House is wading through HB 3, the big school accountability bill.
Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, had an amendment that would strip away school closures, instead instructing the commissioner to “pursue interventions and sanctions”. It got loud when Chairman Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, started defending mandatory school closures, and suggested that the closure of Johnston High School is part of what motivated Webb Middle School to really knuckle down to avoid closure.
Big mistake trying to lecture Dukes on this issue, because both schools are in her district. “Let me correct you,” said a fuming Dukes. “We didn’t get busy because of the closure.” Teachers were working hard well before then: The reality is that, since 40% of teachers from a closed campus cannot find a job in their district, the closure system penalizes good teachers that do try to save their schools.
To say she was putting some emphasis on her point is putting it lightly (as fellow Chronicle writer Lee Nichols pointed out, he could hear her in the back corridor.) When Eissler got her amendment tabled, she immediately started working on another amendment that may save those qualified teachers.
This article appears in April 24 • 2009.
