LACY LAKEVIEW, Texas (KXXV) — Parents and Connally Independent School District alumni are weighing in on the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) announcement of a state takeover of the district which was handed down to district leaders on Dec. 11.
25 News was tipped off about the announcement just ahead of the letter being sent out to the district.
25 News spoke to an Connally ISD alumus and a parent before the holidays about the potential takeover.
Watch the full story here:
Mark Ard is a Connally ISD alumnus and currently has three children within the school system. He told 25 News' Bobby Poitevint he'd been following the district's TEA Accountability ratings for some time now.
Ard said it was important to him to be able process the announcement so he could maybe help better communicate the information to others within the Connally ISD community.
“I wasn’t shocked by it. I knew that it would happen," Ard said. "What I was shocked about and kinda where I think my issue lies is — the clarity. Like the, clarity of what does it mean, what are the timelines and like, you really don’t see any of that unless you go and research it.”
ALSO SEE: State Takeover: Texas Education Agency announces takeover of Connally ISD
ALSO SEE: 'Prove it': Waco's State BOE member calls on parents to hold TEA accountable during CISD takeover
From the TEA, Ard wants to see transparency and a "proven track record" of what has worked in previous TEA school district takeovers.
“Communication right now is just imperative for parents to A) feel at ease or B) understand how does it affect their kids” Ard said.
For many parents, students and the community, it boils down to clear communication from the district and the TEA.
That includes expectations and timelines for what’s next and what’s to come.
Also, accountability especially from the TEA while they oversea the district.
Parents want to also see results and expect progress reports along the way.
ALSO SEE: Efforts to save Connally ISD are now coming from within the state itself
Christy Ocampo has a daughter within Connally ISD. When it comes to the TEA's announcement, she said she had "mixed emotions."
"I understand the importance of accountability and student outcomes but I’m just deeply concerned on how will this affect our community, like the decision making for our students and for our kids," Ocampo added.
Ocampo said as parents, they deserve "clear benchmarks, timelines and public reporting" from the TEA.
The questions for accountability and wanting to understand ‘how we got here’ goes beyond the current classroom and beyond the district's current leadership.
Some people commented on our Facebook post above sharing their thoughts about the TEA's intentions to take over Connally ISD.
One Facebook user commented and when referring to the district, they said “been down hill for long time!!”
Another user wrote: “The high school was a good school in the 70's but kids were different then."
Another Facebook user said, “The problem was there before the current superintendent. Don't make her the fall.”
ALSO SEE: Connally ISD responds to risk of possible state takeover after recently released TEA ratings
As a CISD alumnus, Ard also believes the downfall in Connally ISD's academic scoring didn't happen overnight.
“I think it’s fact finding. Help me fact find where did we go from staying on track to being completely off the rails," Ard said.
You can watch our full exclusive interview with TEA Commissioner Mike Mortah following the takeover announcement and the latest statement from Connally ISD by clicking here.
