Dallas ISD Joins Other Texas Districts in TEA Lawsuit
The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees voted 8-0 to join dozens of Texas districts in a lawsuit filed against the Texas Education Agency over the changes that will be made to the state’s school accountability rating system.
Those involved in the lawsuit believe the changes and lack of advance notice will cause harm to students, team members, families, and the community.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde says the A-F refresh will be applied retroactively after standardized testing is complete and a new school year has begun, which will cause the district’s recent improvements to not be reflected.
“Dallas ISD believes in holding ourselves accountable, and we expect to meet and exceed high standards, but we should know ahead of time the expectations and rules,” Elizalde said. “Put simply, our test scores have gone up, but under the new system, our ratings are projected to decrease. This does not make sense.”
The announcement of 2023 accountability ratings and details on the system to determine them has been delayed to later this fall by the TEA.
“Many times, our commissioner, whom we all respect, has said his hands are tied by the law,” Elizalde said. “Our hands are equally tied, and we must take a position to allow the court system to help us all interpret the law.”
