The HISD State Takeover

The government is red

The takeovers are blue

An exhibition of power

Unjust through and through

Our governor’s so angry

About vouchers and such

Over here, we don’t want it

It won’t help our kids much

Our district was taken over

With 275 schools

Only 1 school was in trouble

To take 274 wasn’t cool

But the appointed judges approved it

Even though it didn’t seem fair

Some are calling it a power grab

Cuz taking a B district is rare

The appointed charter commissioner

Appointed a charter school man

Who appointed a charter school board

To approve his every plan

This must certainly be bias

With no checks or balances in place

The community spoke at the board meetings

The superintendent just looked at their face

Their words went into one ear

And came right out of the other

I could see and feel the hurt

From every child and every mother

The teachers were afraid to speak

For fear of losing their jobs

The superintendent could fire you

Their mental health was robbed

They took away their tenure

Goodbye to all of their years

They are now paid by test scores

Which brought teachers to tears

Evaluation systems

No one fully understood

Was authored by the superintendent

It did more harm than good

He never asked the community

For any input or insight

Changed the curriculum and closed libraries

The union tried to fight

In Houston’s halls of learning great

A takeover changed the state’s fate

The experiment is called NES

Oppressive reforms that he thinks are best

Schools used to be social

And really, really cool

Kids learned in fun ways

They were happy at school

NES teachers were paid a high wage

All others neglected straight down the page

Surplus turned to deficit dire

Transparency lost in the mire

Educators pushed out, replaced unchecked

Students left without teachers, you bet

Unfairness seeps through the system’s hands

As uncertified teachers rule the lands

Over 100 principals were forced to resign

Stakeholders marched and held up their signs

Voices unheard with no show of care

Ruling like a dictator we can now see the tear

Our schools will look different

As they close and combine

This was the plan

The entire time

A billion surplus

turned to dust

A 4.4 billion bond

In hands, we can’t trust

Stakeholders in disbelief

Wondering why

No trust, no bond

The voices cry

HISD’s story, a tale of woe

In Texas history, it’s important to know

The fight for fairness, the call for change

In this complex case, where perspectives range

If they can’t hear our voices

There’s only one hope

Let’s change ALL the players

With the power of our vote