Permian Partnership: How House Bill 4205 Paved the Way for an In-District Charter School

IDEA Permian Basin staff, pictured here at the Founders Retreat, are working hard to prepare for the official launch of IDEA Travis in Midland next August. 

HOW HOUSE BILL 4205 PAVED THE WAY FOR AN IN-DISTRICT CHARTER SCHOOL

This June,Texas’ 86thLegislature passed an important bill aimed at providing greater options to school districts that are struggling with student performance. Authored byState Rep. Tom Craddick, House Bill (HB) 4205 allows a campus slated for closure to be re-purposed to serve existing students if it is operated under a contract with a high-quality non-profit organization with a track record of success.

THE BILLALSOSTATES THAT THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION must meet several criteria including enrollment of at least 10,000 students, a successful history of operating charter schools and an overall performance rating of B or higher for the previous school year.

The push to introduce HB 4205 gained traction earlier this year when Travis Elementary in Midland, Texas, received failing marks from the Texas Education Agency for the fifth consecutive year, one of the longest streaks in the state. At the time, the Texas Education Code stated that when a school fails for more than three years after it has begun a turnaround plan, the state requires closure of the campus or state takeover of the entire district and appointment of a board of managers.

Craddick’s HB 4205 would prevent the campus from displacing students and instead allow for Midland ISD to form a partnership with IDEA Schools for the first-of-its-kind in-district charter arrangement.

“House Bill 4205 is significant because instead of either displacing children or dramatically changing its grade levels, a struggling campus can select a third option to partner with a high-performing charter like IDEA,” says Bethany Solis, Executive Director of IDEA Permian Basin. “The arrangement can give students the benefit of remaining in their neighborhood school in a radically different program.”   Through the partnership, IDEA will open its first school in Midland/Odessa as IDEA Travis, an IDEA campus operating within Midland ISD. However, the bill ensures that the governing board of the 501(c)(3) charter partner is independent of the MISD board and includes a provision that all the same students would be given preference to re-enroll in the same school under the charter. Any additional spots could then be filled via IDEA’s student lottery. Permian Basin is filled with children with tremendous potential, and the same goes for the adults,” says Solis. “I met with leaders from Midland ISD, Ector County ISD, community leaders and parents, and they all want their children and their community to do well. You have children who are failing persistently in school and an entire community of adults who are ready to do something about it.”

Solis says that in order to get things right and give the community what it deserves, IDEA has put in a lot of work and planning into the location — including finding the best educators to help turn the school around.

“IDEA and MISD have spent much time and effort to do difficult things in service of these kids,” continues Solis. “Now that the partnership is in place, we are figuring out program models and hiring the best staff. One accomplishment was hiring Hailey McCarthy, the current principal at IDEA South Flores Academy, an A-rated school which is the highest performing academy campus in our district.” McCarthy knows first-hand what it takes to make a campus successful.

“The foundation of a successful campus is adult culture. When the adults in the system get it right, the children succeed,” says McCarthy. “At IDEA South Flores, I have the privilege of working with not only very talented teachers, but also teachers that hold themselves and others accountable for our shared vision of excellence. That’s what it is going to take to make IDEA Travis just as successful.” In addition to securing a top-notch principal, Solis says IDEA has approximately 25 teachers and leaders training at IDEA South Flores through a Principal-in-Residence program and IDEA’s Relay Residency Program, which gives teachers the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in education while working at an IDEA campus. In addition, IDEA has designated Development Hubs which are high performing campuses that have a principal with a track record of success. “These Development Hubs are used as the training grounds for large numbers of resident teachers,” explains McCarthy. “At IDEA South Flores Academy, we are training fourteen residents who have shown exceptional growth, strong coaching abilities and are participating in Relay coursework that builds their skills. They will have a full year of working under a high performing teacher before they take on the role themselves at IDEA Travis.”

While IDEA is hardly a novice at opening a campus in a new region, Solis says the partnership will be unique. “One of the great benefits ofIDEA’s model is that when we open a new school, our model is tried and true,” she says. “With this campus, it will be a matter of figuring out how to customize our model for the benefit of these kids and this community.”

With a launch date of August 2020, Solis is hard at work building a team who are ready to tackle this first-of-its-kind partnership, and she is confident that IDEA has the results, resources and support to make an impact in the community and looks forward to the challenge. “What this partnership ensures is that there is a real and complete transformation for children, and that's what the students and families deserve." ♦

Top: IDEA Travis campus lead team members Sonya Villegas, Hailey McCarthy, Michelle Street, and Ayesha Fountain. 

Below: IDEA Permian Basin Executive Director Bethany Solis and incoming IDEA Travis principal Hailey McCarthy are excited to bring IDEA’s proven academic model to Midland and launch the first in-district charter in the state of Texas.