Carranza: Houston ISD 'didn't have the stomach' for big reform

In this photo provided by the Mayoral Photography Office, Richard A. Carranza, left, is introduced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio as his new choice to lead the nation's largest school system on March 5, 2018.

Click through the gallery to see how some of Houston's struggling schools have done recently. less In this photo provided by the Mayoral Photography Office, Richard A. Carranza, left, is introduced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio as his new choice to lead the nation's largest school system on March 5, ... more Photo: Ed Reed, HONS / Associated Press Photo: Ed Reed, HONS / Associated Press Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Carranza: Houston ISD 'didn't have the stomach' for big reform 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Former Houston ISD superintendent Richard Carranza did not mince words in an interview published this week about his disappointment in HISD's failure to pass major reforms he championed during his 18-month tenure, suggesting the district lacked the appetite for changes that would boost outcomes for lower-income and minority students.

"As soon as I left, it seemed like people just didn't have the stomach to take the fight," Carranza, who left to become chancellor of New York City public schools in April, said in an article published by The Atlantic.

In a couple of parting shots four months after leaving from Houston, Carranza told the news magazine that HISD leaders have resisted changes that would benefit historically underserved students, creating inequitable access to quality education among students from all backgrounds. His comments cut to key questions about the district's dedication to impoverished and minority students, while also raising the specter that Carranza's abrupt departure contributed to the proposals stalling.

In The Atlantic article, which largely focused on his immediate reform efforts in New York City, the 51-year-old lamented HISD's current campus funding model and the geographic layout of its magnet schools, which he said have favored students from more affluent and white backgrounds. In the months before his departure, Carranza proposed shifting toward a more centralized funding model that largely would benefit schools in lower-income and predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Carranza also pitched adding more magnet programs in lower-income neighborhoods — particularly on the city's northeast and southeast sides — while eliminating significant funding to some magnet campuses that tended to attract students from wealthier backgrounds. Regarding HISD's magnet and school choice system, Carranza told The Atlantic: "You would think if you want to integrate schools and really provide a robust push for the entire system, you would place some really sexy magnet schools in those African-American neighborhoods. No! They were all concentrated in white, upper-middle-class neighborhoods, so that if you're an African-American student, you have to leave your neighborhood to go to those programs."

Ultimately, HISD trustees tweaked the district's current campus funding model and shelved the magnet proposals, to Carranza's dismay. However, it is arguable whether trustees resisted Carranza's proposal because they "didn't have the stomach to take the fight."

Some trustees embraced Carranza's proposal, but others thought the district administration was moving too hastily and did not provide enough details about the proposal's merits.

SCRATCHED: Houston ISD abandons plan for campus funding overhaul

"Carranza didn't leave any definite plans on the table. Only ideals," HISD Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones said. "For me, there were conceptual changes that were never fully vetted or fleshed out by the administration."

The district also was dealing with a large budget deficit and contentious plans to surrender control over 10 chronically low-performing schools, prompting a few trustees to question whether HISD was tackling too much at one time.

Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan ultimately shelved the plan a month after Carranza announced his move to New York, pledging a committee to study the district's resource allocation methods. That committee is scheduled to meet in private for the first time on Aug. 7, with recommendations provided to HISD administrators by December. Forty members have been invited, though not all have committed to date, HISD officials said.

HISD trustees largely have agreed the district's magnet school system needs reform, but they have been unable to agree on the extent of needed changes. Various community factions also have been divided on whether to tweak the system, including a vocal grass-roots group that lobbied against Carranza's proposal this year.

DEPARTURE: Houston ISD's Carranza stuns city by taking NYC job

Carranza is correct that many of the district's sought-after campuses are located in more affluent and white neighborhoods relative to the rest of Houston. However, HISD intentionally placed many of those schools near downtown Houston, a central location accessible to all corners of the city. Most of those campuses are in more affluent or quickly gentrifying neighborhoods, while some are in less wealthy areas, including Eastwood Academy, Mickey College Preparatory Academy for Young Men and Energy Institute High School's new location.

Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, who chairs the NAACP Houston Branch's education committee, said she believes HISD has, in fact, taken positive steps in recent years to provide more opportunities to minority and lower-income students. She noted HISD administrators have invested more in quality staff and programming at the district's neighborhood schools, some of which have seen academic outcomes decline as students take advantage of school choice options at HISD magnet and charter campuses.

"I do see light at the end of the tunnel regarding HISD getting on the right path and being able to provide an equitable education," Evans-Shabazz said. "I really like Mr. Carranza and I liked his attitude regarding what he wanted for the school district, but I don't share his feeling."

SAVED: HISD magnet programs get reprieve amid budget deficit

In a statement Tuesday night, New York City Department of Education Press Secretary Toya Holness said Carranza "passionately advocated" for equity while in Houston, noting the district's Achieve 180 plan that allocated an additional $15 million to about 40 traditionally low-performing schools. Many of those campuses reported preliminary standardized test scores that exceeded district and state averages this year.

"While some initiatives and proposals he championed in Houston have not continued, others have — in particular the Achieve 180 plan — and are proving to be successful," Holness said. "He remains proud of the impact he had while leading the school district and looks forward to following its continued progress."

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