TEA Commissioner Morath approved 8 of 9 new charter applicants that were under consideration:

posted on August 19 - 02:46 PM
By Joe - TexasISD.com
 
  • Brillante Academy (McAllen)
  • CLEAR Public Charter School (San Marcos)
  • *Doral Academy of Texas (Buda)
  • Heritage Classical Academy (Houston)
  • *Learn4Life (Austin)
  • Prelude Preparatory (San Antonio)
  • Rocketship Public Schools (Fort Worth) 
  • Royal Public Schools (San Antonio)

*out-of-state charter chains)                         (20)

  • These 8 applicants now move to the State Board of Education that meets the week of September 8 – 11, 2020 and has the authority to veto these approvals.  The State Board meeting is the only opportunity in the charter application process for public testimony.
  • In comparison, in 2019 the Commissioner only approved five charter applicants that were sent to the State Board (which approved 4 of 5).
  • Three of the approved charter applicants are out-of-state charter chains that will receive millions of Texas taxpayer dollars for their “charter management organizations” in California and Florida.
  • Serious questions were raised at the TEA interviews with these charter applicants about the record of charter applicants in other states; governance; curriculum that included insensitive racial references; and the accountability of out-of-state charter organizations that will receive millions of state dollars from Texas.