By Lorenzo Salinas

l.v.salinas@panews.com

 

For Port Arthur faculty and students who may feel a bit apprehensive about upcoming state tests and accountability systems for the current school year, relief may possibly be in sight—as long as state legislature approves it.

Superintendent Mark Porterie spoke on behalf of Port Arthur Independent School District in Houston and Austin over the past two weeks to appeal to Texas Legislature and the House Committee on Education to overlook any negative test scores PAISD may incur as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey and the destruction it brought to Southeast Texas.

As a result of the flooding, the district has faced school facility damages, teacher and student displacement, loss of technology and equipment, initial and ongoing trauma and/or stress from Harvey-related ordeals and a school calendar that has had to be changed in order to better meet the needs of students, faculty and staff.

Porterie was one of several superintendents from Harvey-affected districts who had asked lawmakers and committees to not hold them, their students or their districts responsible for an overhauled accountability system Texas Legislature had passed earlier this year which would use test results from this year to assign districts a grade in August of next year.

“We understand the importance of testing. Most, if not all the superintendents, want to take the tests this year,” Porterie said.

Normally, Texas Education Agency would use the results from the tests for data purposes and for making assessments of how and where to place students for the following school year. However, Porterie argued circumstances surrounding this year’s tests would be coming from a place that was anything but normal.

The Texas Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath, was among those officials present for the superintendents’ appeals. Porterie said he felt Morath understood where the superintendents were coming from.

“I think the Commissioner of Education is trying to figure how he can be fair across the state,” Porterie said. “I think the issue is he (Morath) wants to be sure that what he does is equitable. Some districts were not affected at all while others were detrimentally affected.

In addition to overlooking this year’s test scores, Porterie and PAISD asked the state to develop a database of displaced students, identify them on state reports and to take no adverse accountability measures that would impact the districts or the schools.

When asked if he thought any of this would be possible, Porterie expressed confidence in the education commissioner, saying Morath has been “very, very supportive” of the district and their needs.

“He’ll take into account what’s best for students and what’s best for staff and student issues,” Porterie said.

Porterie said he likewise felt both the Texas House and Senate would be sympathetic to PAISD’s needs, as well as to other affected districts.

“They’re both compassionate to what happened in this state; but, they also want what’s best for the students overall.”

Porterie said that everyone from state lawmakers to the teachers and staff of the districts hit hardest by Harvey wants accountability, including PAISD—they would just want a fair chance to prove that accountability when they were not also saddled with lingering traumas and ongoing frustrations from Harvey-related ordeals.

Specifically, Porterie and the district recommended to the House Committee on Education that the 2016-2017 accountability ratings be used instead of the 2017-2018 ratings for all districts affected negatively by Harvey.

Porterie also expressed confidence in what PAISD and all its employees and students have been able to do since coming back from Harvey.

“We are all in this together. I think we’ve done a good job.”

 

Praise to the employees

Porterie gave special mention to teachers and staff who have had to deal with FEMA, insurance and contractors in addition to their regular workload—which was something Porterie stressed the district was willing to accommodate for them.

In addition, he praised the students, who have been facing their own set of trials in Harvey’s aftermath.

“When the (post-Harvey) first rain came, they were a little apprehensive. Our staff, with compassion, talked with them and cared for them. They saw them through it.”

Accordingly, Porterie anticipated a possible need for more mental and social services among both students and staff, and said the district would be ready to meet that need.

“We will bring in more mental services to help students and staff,” he said. “We understand as we move along, we could see more effects of what they’re going through right now…”

Porterie said, “We’re anticipating there will come a time to stop and address some social issues. We’re ready to do that—whatever we have to do that would help the community and students, we’ll do that.”