Brazosport Independent School District joins civil litigation against TEA

Brazosport Independent School District (BISD) has taken a stand against the Texas Education Agency (TEA) by joining a lawsuit accusing the agency of failing to provide clear information on the calculation of school district accountability ratings. The BISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to sign onto the lawsuit, expressing their dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency from TEA.

Located approximately 60 miles south of Houston in Brazoria County, BISD is one of several districts suing TEA over significant changes made to the accountability ratings system. These changes will result in the ratings for the 2022-2023 school year being based on a different set of rules, making it impossible to compare them to previous ratings. BISD argues that TEA did not inform districts about these changes, which they claim is a violation of state law.

Despite their efforts to seek clarification from TEA, BISD states that the agency has yet to provide any information on the process. As a result, the district has requested a judge to prevent the issuance of performance ratings for the last school year. This legal action aims to hold TEA accountable for its lack of transparency and ensure that districts have access to accurate and comparable ratings.

In response to the lawsuit, TEA has delayed the release of scores from the previous academic year, originally scheduled for September 28th, for at least another month. This move further exacerbates the frustration felt by BISD and other districts involved in the litigation, as they continue to await clarification and transparency from TEA.

Superintendent Danny Massey emphasized the hard work and dedication of BISD staff in providing quality education to their students. Massey believes that their staff deserves better treatment and hopes that the lawsuit will lead to improved accountability practices and a more transparent system for all Texas school districts.