Texas Schools Turnaround with Third Future

0:00It's April 23rd, from your city to your ears. This is El Paso News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Eight Texas school districts just got taken over by the state for failing academic standards year after year. Under the law, if a school flops five straight years, the whole district can lose local control. But some others are dodging that bullet by teaming up with outside experts or filing turnaround plans with the Texas Education Agency. Like Wichita Falls Independent School District, they were on the brink but hired a non-profit called Third Future Schools to step in. That move slashed their failing campuses from 12 down to 5 in just three years, keeping the district out of full-state hands for now. Superintendent Donnie Lee credits smart curriculum tweaks and this partnership for the turnaround. He says it's basically what the state would do anyway, so why boot the local team when things are improving? Third future was founded by Mike Miles. The guy now running Houston's district under state watch.

1:01The group is booming, working with Waco, Midland, Manor, Austin and Jasper Districts two, pulling in millions through state funding from Senate Bill, 1882. At Wichita Falls's Hershey Middle School alone, they're getting about $400,000 a month based on student numbers and attendance. Next year, though handle two more elementaries there, and the state is placing a conservator to watch over progress for two years. STAAA test scores drop in August, and Lee is betting they'll prove the gains are real, locking in local control for good.