BEAUMONT, Texas — The Beaumont ISD School Board voted in a meeting Thursday night to approve three charter school partnerships for low-performing schools.
The decision was unanimous, 6-0 in favor of Responsive Education Solutions and Phalen Leadership Academies being able to operate educational programs.
The partnership is an agreement between the district and the charter operators and would take affect for the 2019-20 school year.
BISD superintendent Dr. John W. Frossard can make any changes to the agreement he feels necessary until February 4.
Nothing has been signed, which means this is a tentative and not finalized agreement.
"If we partner with these potential organizations, number one we keep our schools open and not have to close our schools which is extremely important to us," says associate superintendent of secondary schools Shannon Allen. "We were looking for specific partners who had a proven track record of working with students and turning campuses around, so we're excited about the potential for these two organizations working with our three campuses."
For the last two years, BISD has been looking for a solution to help Fehl-Price Elementary, Jones-Clark Elementary and Smith Middle School improve.
The Texas Education Agency grades each school "A to F" with an "F" grade resulting in "IR" or improvement required.
All three BISD schools have received an "F" grade for more than four years which means they became vulnerable for the state to close them down.
The district chose to pursue a charter partnership as the route to take in an effort to get these schools back up to par.
Responsive Education Solutions and Phalen Leadership Academies were the two chosen, but BISD says they received more than 30 applications from charter operators and programs to assist them.
Under these partnerships, "Responsive Education Solutions" will operate Fehl-Price Elementary while "Phalen Leadership Academies" will operate Jones-Clark Elementary and Smith Middle School.
BISD will oversee both charter operators as they must comply with district policies.
Meaning students will not have to leave these three schools and they will still be associated with BISD.
Students will have the opportunity to transfer out if they choose or transfer in if there are openings.
As for the staff at Fehl-Price Elementary, Jones-Clark Elementary and Smith Middle School, they will all have to re-apply for those positions.
Both Responsive Education Solutions and Phalen Leadership Academies will do the hiring.
On Thursday, Frossard did tell the public that no current staff member will lose their job within BISD even if they aren't employed at the same campus.
Both charter operators are known for turning around low rated schools.
Responsive Education Solutions is the largest charter operator in Texas.
The partnerships are set to be the first Texas programs for Phalen Leadership Academies.
According to Senate Bill 1882 which allows for these partnerships to take place, the three schools will receive additional state funding as well as a two-year accountability period.
The period gives Fehl-Price Elementary, Jones-Clark Elementary and Smith Middle School exemption from closure for at least two years to allow for the schools to improve its grade to at least a "C".
The agreement between BISD and the two charter operators would be five years, but the district could terminate after the two year period if any school should fail to receive a "C" grade.
The TEA projects that an estimated $3 million will go toward the three BISD schools each year under the bill in correlation with enrollment.
If any school were to close, nobody would be able allowed inside for at least a year.
When it re-opens, every student and program will have to be new under law which means a student who lives across the street and attended one of these three schools for example will have to transfer somewhere else.