The state's largest school district might
be one step closer right now to being
overtaken by the Texas Education Agency.
The state Supreme Court this month
cleared the way for the state to
move in and take over Houston ISD,
but what by the ramifications beyond this?
This is an issue that States Senator
Paul Bettencourt is watching closely.
We reached him about it at
his office in Houston.
Senator, it's good to see you again.
Let's talk about the state Supreme
Court this month clearing the way
for the TEA to take over Houston's
Independent School district there.
Do you expect now that that legal
hurdle has been moved that the
TEA will actually move and go
forward and take over H ISD?
Well, it's clearly a huge case
because the bill that I authored,
Senate Bill 1365, was was referred
to multiple times in the ruling.
And basically, as you said,
it does plow the road it.
Miles the TA to take over the
safe's largest school district.
But it's going to be up to the
TA Commissioner Mike Morath,
to make that decision.
What strikes me about this case is,
you know, this goes back to 2019 when the
TEA and the Commissioner, Mike Morath,
were looking at H ISD and they were,
you know, upset about the dysfunction on the,
you know, board members at the time.
And they were concerned.
He was also concerned about Phyllis
Wheatley High School, which was,
you know, had failing grades.
H ISD is a huge district,
you know, that that Wheatley
is now improved its grades.
They're, they're compliant now
the board has turned over,
hasn't this problem.
Fixed itself.
The problem is simply this.
You can't let the states largest
school district continue to fail.
Now while we're on you know compared
to the bottom that we are on yes
we're up a little by by measurement
but again we're going to have dozens
of schools that are probably going
to be on the improvement required
list you know in this next round
of of grading cycle and really you
got to look for the future because
we've had a tremendous enrollment
drop in H ISD and and.
This is important that HSD function.
No, no matter what,
HISD needs to be fixed.
Senator, you were reappointed to a chair of
the Senate Committee on Local Government.
You're going to have lots of influence like
you did last session on property taxes.
The Lieutenant governor told us that he
supports raising the homestead exemption
up to $70,000 from its $40,000 mark now,
which would reduce what we pay.
Could something like that get
passed in the Texas House and and
and land on the governor's desk?
It is it already.
In 2021 in the last special session
of an increase from 25,000 to 40,000
was passed and the voters approved
it last year in a May election.
But this is this is relying on on
the surplus money and and I'm sure everyone
has different ideas on how to spend that
well I I think that property
tax relief is way high on
everybody's agenda at this point.
The the bill that I carried last time
that did that passed unanimously
both houses completely. Bipartisan.
I expect this bill from going
from 40,000 to 70,000 to also pass
with overwhelming majorities.
And these are huge savings for
an average Dallas ISD home.
Wherever it is in Dallas,
I see for the rest of your life,
you'll save $826 per year,
and that's an additional 355
because of this increase already
on top of what was there before.
So exemptions are very powerful tools.
To help keep homeowners in their homes.
And we're looking at business
exemptions as well because you need
to have a balance plan between home
and business exemptions going forward.
Last time we spoke, Senator,
we talked about the Harris
County Elections Office and
the continued problems there.
Like we saw in November,
not enough ballot paper at some
20 different voting locations.
How do you expect the state
legislature is going to address
the issues at the Elections Office?
They're in Harris County.
One of the big debates we're already
having with the is whether or not to
have an elections administrator and
give it back to the elected officials,
the county clerk to do the elections
and the tax assessor to do the
voter registrar registration.
Would that be a carve out for
Harris County or statewide?
No, that would be, we'll start off,
you know, at an urban area,
you know, with a carve out.
But I think that's one bill
that's going to be filed.
There's going to be bills raising
criminal penalties if you're sitting
on a ballot paper in the warehouse and
you don't until 3:00 o'clock decide
that you have to get ballot paper out
to presiding judges that are screaming
for help borrowing paper from other bat,
from other, you know, poles.
Yeah, I think instead of
a Class C misdemeanor.
Maybe an air state jail failing?
It's crazy to have this type of
response in the 21st century in
the nation's third largest county.
And Harris County's too big a chunk of
the electorate in Texas to ignore it.
Senator we always appreciate the time.
Anytime.
Thanks, Jay.