It’s with a heavy heart that I begin this entry. On Wednesday, Houston’s first Latino Superintendent for the Houston Independent School District, Dr. Abelardo (Abe) Saavedra, announced he will be stepping down by the spring of 2010.

“I have recently informed the school board of my intention to retire within the next year,” said Dr. Saavedra. “I want to make sure that the board has adequate time to conduct a comprehensive national search for my successor. Selecting a superintendent is the most important decision that a board makes. Making the right decision ensures that the progress that we have made as a district, as a community, will continue forward. I have full confidence the board will select an individual who will take this district to the next level of performance.” (full text)

His announcement shocked everybody, especially the two Latino Board Trustees, Diana Davila and Manuel Rodriguez Jr. It’s not like he had done a terrible job as Superintendent. In fact, as Superintendent of the largest school district in the state and the seventh-largest in the US, he accomplished a lot and clean up the mess left by the two previous Superintendents, former Secretary of Education Rod Paige and Kaye Stripling.

Revisiting the “Houston Miracle” Con Artists
Before being appointed Secretary of Education, Dr. Paige was credited for the “Houston Miracle,” otherwise known as the “Texas Education Miracle,” – the phrase President George W. Bush used during his 2000 presidential campaign. Paige was put into the spotlight for turning the school district around by dramatically increasing test scores and dropouts in several inner-city high schools were reported near zero by making principals and administrators accountable for how well their students did. This success provided the impetus for the No Child Left Behind program. It turned out that the “miracle” was at best a myth and illusion, if not an outright fraud.

Kaye Stripling took over after Rod Paige was appointed Sec of Ed. It was business as usual at HISD. During her tenure as superintendent, pressure to raise scores from above continued, which meant that administrators continued to distort the truth. She not only continued the hoax, she expanded the myth to include college going behavior.

In 2003, a state audit conducted by Texas Education Agency (TEA) of Houston ISD uncovered not only a dropout hoax but also a “college matriculation” hoax of similar proportions. After the audit was released, Diana Schemo of The New York Times reported that many Houston high schools reported to the state that as many as 100% of their students were planning to attend college when the reality was less than 50 percent were attending.

It even got worse; school violence was getting out of hand. A complete report on the widespread misinformation at Houston ISD regarding its campus violence was broke by New York Times. Dr. Stripling, who made herself unavailable to be interviewed by The Times, held a press conference after the article appeared to denounce it but did not dispute the facts: “I take personal offense at this attack on the public schools of Houston.”

Changing of the Bush Guard
Saavedra was named superintendent in July 2004 after Kaye Stripling stepped down from the post. During Dr. Saavedra’s five-year tenure, he has made sure HISD was not the laugh stock of the nation. Here are few of his accomplishments:

• Achieved a record-breaking number of highly-rated schools—157 Exemplary and Recognized schools under the state’s current accountability system
• Made more progress on the TAKS test than the state average
• Created a college-bound culture throughout the district
• record numbers of HISD students are taking and passing Advanced Placement exams and dual-credit courses to earn college credit while they are still in high school
• Increased SAT scores of HISD students while state and national averages fell
• Established full-day prekindergarten
• Created Reach Out to Dropouts to go door-to-door to get students back into school, which has been replicated nationally, returning more than 5,000 students to school

So why would Abe Saavedra decide to drop this major bombshell? Back in he had told reporters back in October that he intended to stay. To answer this question, it is important to look beyond the surface of text of his statement. In other words, how he framed his message.

During the press conference, Dr. Saavedra said:

My parents taught me to leave a place better than it was when I arrived. I think I will be doing that when I leave HISD sometime within the next year. With the support of the board and the dedication and hard work of our central and regional administrators and their staffs, the tenacity and brilliant work of our principals, and the unwavering dedication and extraordinary work that our teachers perform in their classrooms every day, I am able to leave behind a school district…

There is no question that Saavedra was vague for his sudden retirement, yet, the statement above comes across as Dr. Saavedra has decided that it was better to quit while he was ahead. This would imply, this was more of a timely move to protect his name and legacy than is political cannon fodder.

In this era of accountability and standards, the role of a school superintendent can be mystifying and vague. The truth is, superintendents hold one of the most important and challenging jobs in America’s education system. Most people can explain that the superintendent is responsible for the success or failure of student performance. The truth is, superintendents also face a variety of challenges that are often largely unrelated to teaching and learning.

While nobody was publicly calling for Dr. Saavedra to step down, it is no secret there are some tensions in the relationship between the school board and Abe Saavedra. Last year, there were rumors that the board was trying to dump Superintendent Abe Saavedra instead of renewing his contract. In a pre-emptive move, the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce rallied to show their support for him.

Saavedra had survived and his contract was renewed. The relationship between a superintendent and the board can be complex and must be handled well. It has been reported that Saavedra lacked the political savvy that comes with the job. Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle writes:

Time and again, he failed to get buy-in from the board or community leaders on delicate matters like school closures and reform plans for troubled schools. He nearly lost the 2007 bond issue because of communication shortcomings, and he continued to alienate parents in failed attempts to tinker with the district’s most celebrated programs.
…
Being the superintendent of a large urban school district, holding the futures of 200,000 largely disadvantaged students in your hands each day, can’t be an easy job. But it becomes nearly impossible without some political savvy.

Gayle Fallon, spokeswoman for the Houston Federation of Teachers, put it this way: Houston’s schools chief has to work with a strong internal and citywide African-American political structure to run a district that’s 60 percent Hispanic on a tax base that’s largely white. Not to mention the fact that many of those white folks don’t send their children to HISD schools.

The problem with HISD’s school board, some school board members have a tendency to micromanage on issues not within the scope of its responsibility and at times have interfered in the superintendents’ administrative responsibilities. The fact is, Dr. Saavedra is at the mercy of the school board because they the only one who evaluate his performance.

While Saavedra can take credit for improved student achievement, it was district’s $805 million bond referendum and his recent plan to reduce busing to the popular magnet schools that did him in. As school board President Larry Marshall expressed during Dr. Saavedra’s press conference. During the $805 million bond campaign, many people from the Fifth Ward and other traditionally African African neighborhoods were very upset because the initial plan called for the closure of several historically old schools.

School boards and superintendents play a vital role in improving student performance. Level of board involvement in managing the school district and the politics involved can be troubling to many superintendents. This was the case for Dr. Saavedra as well. Back in October when the board renewed his contract, he told reporters that he planned to stay as long as the relationship remained strong. However, something must have happened for him to take the high road and quit while he’s ahead.

Now that Mayor Bill White is termed out, Houston will be electing a new mayor in November. Despite all the good, it is the shortcoming people tend to remember most. Inside sources inform me that Dr. Saavedra and his $805 million bond snafu would have become political cannon fodder to win over the African American vote.

Dr. Saavedra made a wise move, one, he should not have been forced to do. It is a sad day when those who are charged with the responsibility of our public school system allow political agendas come before the education of our children. It is even sadder when politicians take advantage of the situation for their personal gain.

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Tags: Abe Saavedra, Education, HISD, Hispanic, Houston, Latino, public schools |  Print This Post |
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