TEA Texas Education Agency Michael Williams Commissioner IMPORTANT ACCREDITATION INFORMATION- ACTION REQUIRED Certified Mail & Regular Mail 125-905 2015-2016 November 17, 2015 Eric Ramos, Superintendent Michelle McCleery, President, Board of Trustees Premont Independent Schoo! District PO Box 530 Premont, TX 78375-0530 Dear Mr. Ramos and Ms. McCleary: The purpose of this letter is to provide official notice to Premont Independent School District (ISD) regarding the status of the district and its campuses. The accountability ratings assigned by the Texas Education Agency (TEA or agency), as discussed in further detail below, require me to assign Premont ISD a 2015-2016 accreditation status of Not Accredited-Revoked and to close the district effective July 1, 2016, Background Information Premont ISD was last assigned an accreditation status of Accredited-Probation for 2014-2015 pursuant to 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §97.1055(c)(1)(C) because the district received a 2010-2011 financial accountability rating of Substandard Achievement, an academic accountability rating of Academically Unacceptable in 2011, and an academic accountability rating of Improvement Required for 2013 and 2014. The district did not request a review related to its 2014-2015 accreditation status assignment and, in correspondence dated May 7, 2015, |, as Commissioner of Education notified the district that | was appointing Doug Arnold to Premont ISD to serve as a TEA monitor to address the deficiencies identified for the district. In August 2015, the TEA released preliminary accountability ratings, which indicated that Premont ISD received an academic accountability rating of improvement Required. The district appealed its 2015 accountability rating determination. The appeal was denied and the rating is now final and not appealable. Texas Education Code (TEC) §39.151(d).Revocation of Accreditation A school district must be assigned an accreditation status of Not Accredited-Revoked if it is assigned a financial accountability rating of Substandard Achievement, an academic accountability rating of Academically Unacceptable ot Improvement Required, ot any combination of the ratings for four consecutive school years. 19 TAC §97.1055(d). For purposes of determining multiple years of academically unacceptable or insufficient performance, the academic accountability ratings issued for the 2010-2011 school year and the 2012-2013 school year are considered consecutive.’ 19 TAC §97.1055(a)(8). Pursuant to TEC §§39,051-39.052 and 19 TAC §97.1055(d)(1)(C), Premont ISD’s accreditation status of Not Accredited-Revoked for 2015-2016 is based on the assignment of a 2010-2011 financial accountability rating of Substandard Achievement, an academic accountability rating of Academically Unacceptable in 2011, and an academic accountability rating of Improvement Required for 2013, 2014 and 2015. Alll rights to appeal the ratings identified above have been waived or exhausted, and these ratings are now final and not appealable. TEC §39.151(d) In light of Premont ISD's accountability ratings, | find that | must assign Premont ISD a 2015-2016 accreditation status of Not Accredited-Revoked and order closure of the district effective July 1, 2016. The procedures available to the district to request a review of the accreditation status assignment are discussed below. The order of closure will result in annexation of the Premont ISD. Monitor Appointment The current appointment of Doug Arnold as the TEA monitor will remain in effect and will not be impacted at this time Public Notification: Accreditation Status Districts that are assigned a status of Not Accredited-Revoked must take specific actions to notify the parents of students enrolled in the district and property owners in the district. The requirements for public notification are specified in 19 TAC §97.1055(f), and a template that reflects the TEA-required format and language for the public notice is posted at hitp:/tea.texas.gov/accredstatus/, Premont [SD must complete the notification requirement no later than December 17, 2015. Premont ISD also must send the TEA by certified mail, return receipt requested, documentation showing compliance with the Notification requirement. This documentation may be addressed as follows: Division of Accreditation Texas Education Agency 1701 North Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701 Fax: (512) 936-6474 Districts with an accreditation status below Accredited may be subject to additional accreditation sanctions as referenced in 19 TAC Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter EE. Questions related to the public notification requirements may be addressed to accred@tea texas.qov or (512) 463- 5899, * Academic accountability ratings were not issued for the 2011-2012 school year,Informal Review In accordance with 19 TAC §157.1123, the district may request an informal review related to the assignment of a 2015-2016 accreditation status of Not Accredited-Revoked. However, an informal review shall be provided only if the ISD submits a written request for informal review not later than November 24, 2015. 19 TAC §157.1123(b). Written information may be submitted by the required deadline for requesting an informal review. 19 TAC §157.1123(c). The request for informal review must be in writing and received by TEA no later than November 24, 2015, and addressed as follows: Division of Enforcement Coordination ‘Texas Education Agency 1701 North Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701 Fax: (612) 475-3665 EnforcementCoordination@tea,texas.gov If no informal review is requested by the deadline, a final decision may be issued without review. 19 TAC §157.1123(d). If an informal review is requested, it will be held on December 2, 2015. Pursuant to 19 TAC §157.1123, the school district is invited to attend the review. The informal review will provide an opportunity for the istrict to provide oral and written information on the assignment of the Not Accredited-Revoked status to the district. Please note, however, that the Texas academic and financial accountability system ratings, as relied upon by the TEA in making the status determination, are final because all appeals to the ratings provided by law have been exhausted, Should Premont ISD choose to appear at the review, it will be presided over by the Commissioner of Education, The ISD is not required to attend the review; however, ifthe ISD chooses not to attend, the informal review will proceed and a final decision will be made based upon the documentation that was submitted by the ISD with its request for review. The informal review is scheduled to take place as follows: Location: William B. Travis Building 4701 North Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701 Room 2-195, 2" Floor Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Time: 4:30 pm Please note the following: ‘+ The informal review will be scheduled not to exceed 60 minutes. + Documentation for consideration will be limited to that which was previously submitted by the deadline for requesting an informal review. No new documentation will be considered.+ The scope of the informal review is limited to the assignment of the Not Accredited- Revoked status to the district. + No later than November 24, 2015, please notify the Agency of the district representatives who will attend the informal review. The notice should include names and roles of representatives and should note who will present information or engage in discussions and questioning during the review. It is requested that additional attendees be kept to a maximum of five. If attendees include members of a body covered by the Texas Open Meetings Act, they shall be less than a quorum of the body. + The informal review is a closed proceeding and will not be open to the public or media. + The district must notify the Division of Enforcement Coordination no later than November 24, 2045, if accommodations are needed and specify the type of accommodation needed, for example, the need for sign language interpreters. + The informal review will not constitute a formal administrative hearing, and the Rules of Evidence will not apply to the informal review. Responses, notices, and requests must be sent to: Division of Enforcement Coordination Texas Education Agency 1701 North Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701 Fax: (512) 475-3665 EnforcementCoordination@tea.texas.gov ‘Additional information regarding the informal review process can be referenced at 19 TAC §157.1123 at the Texas Administrative Code link available at http:/Iritter tea state.tx.us/rulesitac/index.himl, If you have additional questions, please contact the Division of Enforcement Coordination by phone at (512) 483-3544 or via email at EnforcementCoordination@tea.texas.qov If you submit a timely request for review of the 2015-2016 accreditation status of Not Accredited- Revoked and | do not change my decision regarding the accreditation status during the informal review, you will have an opportunity to file a petition for review with the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) fora hearing pursuant to TEC §39.152, if you first satisfy the requirements of 19 TAC §157.1155. Any hearing provided shall be limited to the specific findings and/or recommendations detailed in this correspondence. Under TEC §39.152(b), the administrative law judge must uphold my decision unless the administrative law judge finds the decision is not supported by substantial evidence. The decision of the administrative law judge is final and may not be appealed. Compliance and Cooperation Given the expectations of state law regarding accreditation status and my concern for the long-term education of the students served by the Premont ISD, | am compelled to move forward with this process. It is my sincere desire that the agency, the district, and the community work together in a cooperative and productive manner. Any questions you may have regarding accreditation may be addressed to the Division of Accreditation at (512) 463-5899 or by email at accred@tea.texas. gov.‘Any questions you may have regarding the informal review process may be addressed to the Division of Enforcement Coordination at (512) 463-3544 or EnforcementCoordination@tea.texas.qov. Sincerely, cc:_Dr, Rick Alvarado, Executive Director, Region 2 ESC Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds, Chief Deputy Commissioner, TEA Michael Berry, Deputy Commissioner, Policy and Programs, TEA Sally Partridge, Associate Commissioner, Accreditation and School Improvement, TEA Lisa Dawn-Fisher, Associate Commissioner, School Finance/Chief School Finance Officer, TEA Nora Hancock, Associate Commissioner, Grants and Federal Fiscal Compliance, TEA Criss Cioust, Associate Commissioner, Assessment and Accountability, TEA Alice McAfee, Associate Commissioner, Complaints, Investigations and Enforcement, TEA Von Byer, General Counsel, TEA Christopher Jones, Senior Legal Counsel, TEA Eric Marin, Legal Counsel, TEA Chris Cowan, Director, Enforcement, TEA Michael Greenwalt, Director, Program Monitoring and Interventions, TEA Leah Martin, Director, Accreditation, TEA Ron Rowell, Director, Governance, TEA Doug Arnold, Monitor