February 13, 2003

Houston Independent School District
by Scott Nowell

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education discussed graduation rates on Thursday.  Much of the discussion centered around the way the rates are calculated.

Roberto Gonzalez, who is heading a peer committee on the issue, said the dropout rate is now thirteen percent, but others, including trustees Jeff Shadwick and Lawrence Marshall, criticized that report. 

“We have 800 freshman, 200 graduate, and the dropout rate is thirteen percent?" asked Shadwick.  "We all know it’s about forty percent.” 

“It is inconceivable how anyone can report a dropout rate of under twenty-five percent when we look at the number of students we have in the first grade and the number of students we have in twelfth grade," agreed Marshall. It’s indefensible that the dropout rate is under 25 percent if 50 percent of first-graders don’t finish twelfth grade.”

Gonzalez agreed the data is flawed, but said HISD is bound by state and federal law to use certain standards in evaluating graduation rates. He said that increased mobility has caused unprecedented numbers of students to switch school districts during their high school careers, and that there are not adequate methods to track those transfers. 

Gonzalez also said that census studies have skewed the data by tracking immigrants who never attended school. “How can they drop out if they never drop in?” 

HISD Superintendent Kaye Stripling said a program is being developed to track students who leave HISD but graduate from other schools within Region IV.  She said the HISD goal is an 85 percent graduation rate by 2006.

Gonzales said that his committee will develop a clear definition  of "dropout" and also will identify programs that are working. 

The board voted 7-1, with Shadwick opposed, to table two proposed rule changes that might prohibit teachers from distributing information critical of the school board, including newspaper articles given to other teachers.

Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston chapter of the American Federation of Teachers spoke in opposition to the proposals.

“When you try to restrict our ability to communicate with our members, we consider it an act of war, second only to payroll deductions,” said Fallon.

Contractors representing W.C.W. International and the Trevino Group complained to the school board about the HISD bidding process, which recently awarded over $600 million in contracts to build sixteen new schools in Houston. 

“What did the other teams offer you in a performance guarantee? What did the other companies offer you in Minority/Women’s Business Enterprise guarantees?” asked Dale Trevino.  He said his team offered definite performance dates and M/WBE considerations which were not taken into account in the bidding process.

“We charged the superintendent with setting up a fair bid process and that is what she did," said Trustee Karla Cisneros.  "I was told by a contractor 'When we win a job it's because of our egos, when we lose, it’s politics'.”

All other agenda items were passed.  Trustee Laurie Bricker was absent.