The Seguin ISD board of trustees unanimously approved the administration's recommendation to join a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Titled Kingsville ISD, et. al., v. Morath, the suit asks the TEA to stop the release of this year's accountability ratings, slated for September, due to unlawful changes in the state accountability system designed to downgrade student achievement.
Seguin ISD Superintendent Dr. Matthew Gutierrez explained the reasoning behind joining the lawsuit during the Aug. 29, 2023 school board meeting.
"I appreciate your support on this effort. It is not fair to change the rules of the game after the game has been played. It is an injustice to our schools. It is an effort to say and show that our public schools are failing and to push vouchers," he said.
A major sticking point of the “refreshed” A-F accountability system is that TEA is raising the threshold to earn an A in college, career and military readiness (CCMR) performance from 60% to 88% for 2023. Yet the 88% threshold for the fall 2023 accountability ratings will be based on the performance of 2022 graduates—former students who matriculated 15 months ago.
"Using the established accountability baselines that were in effect for the duration of the 2022-23 school year would place our district as a high C. Instead, TEA has decided that it is necessary to change their rules after the conclusion of the school year, which would put us as a high D. This is in spite of our students realizing gains and making progress over the past school year. Yet as a result of those gains, our students, our teachers and our schools get penalized, he said.
“Moving the goalposts is not fair for our Seguin ISD students and teachers, or for the student and teachers across the state of Texas.”
Seguin ISD is one of many Texas public districts to join the lawsuit that specifically names TEA Commissioner Mike Morath. The lawsuit was originally initiated and filed by Kingsville ISD and currently includes Canutillo, Crowley, Del Valle, Edinburg, Fort Stockton, Pecos-Barstow-Toyah and Pflugerville ISDs.
The motion to approve was approved by Seguin ISD trustees on a 6-0. Board member Joshua Bright was not at the meeting.
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