The "outsiders" outrage that won't die down
We previously noted the Chronicle's inaccurate coverage of HISD Superintendent Abe Saavedra's State of the Schools speech last week, where Jason Spencer mischaracterized what Superintendent Saavedra said, by writing that "outsiders" would be brought in to fix three underperforming high schools. The story's headline and subhead were also rather dramatic. What Saavedra really said was that HISD would seek applications from "reform providers" -- community organizations, educators—including current school leaders—and other interested groups. On Thursday, the Chronicle offered a small clarification but it wasn't on page A1 with big headlines like the original story was.
We can only imagine the headache that HISD officials are now enduring as they attempt to set the record straight. All over the media on Friday we saw outraged community leaders complaining about Saavedra wanting to bring in for-profit, private companies to take over the schools and taxpayer dollars. On KRIV-26, I heard one man threaten to sue HISD to keep private companies out of those schools.
Then in a really ironic turn, this morning I see the Chronicle has a story about Houston minority leaders decrying Saavedra's plan to bring in private contractors -- a story that, at least partially I would argue, the Chronicle helped create! This time the story was written by Allan Turner, and in it HISD spokesman Terry Abbott tried to clear things up:
Terry Abbott, spokesman for the Houston Independent School District, said indignation over the plan, which was outlined earlier this week by Superintendent Abe Saavedra during his annual State of the Schools address, is misplaced and based on media accounts that he contends are inaccurate.
While contracting with for-profit entities to run the schools is a possibility, Abbott said, the district also welcomes reform proposals from district employees and community groups. Texas education officials have decreed that the schools, which have been deemed "low-performing" for two consecutive years, must be dramatically improved or closed.
Do you think Abbott said "media accounts"? Nah, neither do I, because this is what a KPRC-2 story on Thursday said:
Saavedra insisted Thursday that the Houston Chronicle improperly reported his plans for Yates, Sam Houston and Kashmere high schools.
Anyway, there were a couple of interesting points in today's Chronicle story:
Yates Principal George August has advised HISD that his school's administrators, teachers, parents and other community members will offer trustees a "bold, innovative redesign and restructuring of the entire instructional program at Yates to improve student achievement."
[snip]
Abbott insisted the district has not neglected community opinion.
"Nothing has been done," he said. "We've begun at the beginning and we're asking the community for ideas. Mr. Saavedra announced the plan in front of 2,000 people that he was going out to the community for ideas. I don't know how he could have told more people at one time."
But they're sandwiched between plenty of dramatics:
[Rep. Sheila] Jackson Lee admonished HISD to seek more community input before making a decision to privatize the schools.
Private contractors, she suggested, would "dumb down" the schools, first making cosmetic improvements to gain favor, then cutting back on less visible but important educational programs.
Jackson Lee complained that representatives from her office had to "wear pajamas" to attend a 7:30 a.m. Thursday school board meeting in which trustees authorized Saavedra to pursue his plan.
Her staff had to wear their jammies to a 7:30 a.m. meeting? Maybe she needs to get them some alarm clocks. In the real world, it's not unheard of to be at work by seven in the morning.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/19/05 04:32 PM | Print |
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