{"id":9698,"date":"2010-03-14T04:24:06","date_gmt":"2010-03-14T09:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=9698"},"modified":"2010-03-14T04:38:45","modified_gmt":"2010-03-14T09:38:45","slug":"jean-massieu-academy-in-arlington-ordered-to-close-in-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/14\/jean-massieu-academy-in-arlington-ordered-to-close-in-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington ordered to close in summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington ordered to close in summer<\/strong><\/p>\n

By TRACI SHURLEY and EVA-MARIE AYALA<\/p>\n

tshurley@star-telegram.com, eayala@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n

ARLINGTON — The state ordered the Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington to
\nclose this summer after revoking its accreditation as a school district, the
\nTexas Education Agency announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n

School officials have until Friday to ask Texas Education Commissioner
\nRobert Scott for a hearing to reconsider the closure.<\/p>\n

Jean Massieu, which opened in 1999 to serve primarily deaf children and
\ntheir families, lost accreditation because of its poor performance on state
\nacademic and financial accountability systems. It has been rated
\nacademically unacceptable by the state four years in a row and received
\nsubstandard rating in financial accountability for failing to turn records
\nin to the state on time.<\/p>\n

“While it saddens me to take this action, given the expectations of state
\nlaw and my concern for the long-term education of the students served by
\nJean Massieu Academy, I am compelled to move forward with this action,”
\nScott wrote to school leaders. Additionally, he noted that the school had
\ncontinual issues in its special-education program for “serious and
\npersistent deficiencies.”<\/p>\n

School officials did not return messages seeking comment.<\/p>\n

The charter-school campus was one of only four charter schools or districts
\nin the state to have their accreditation status revoked because of
\nsubstandard academic or financial ratings.<\/p>\n

The TEA has been accrediting school districts for three years and charter
\nschools for two.<\/p>\n

This year, 1,198 out of 1,232 districts or charters schools were accredited.
\nFourteen schools had their accreditations left pending because of ongoing
\ninvestigations. Two districts and three charter schools received
\naccredited-probation status, including the Metro Academy of Math and Science
\nin Arlington, which received the rating because of poor academic and
\nfinancial accountability.<\/p>\n

Ongoing concerns<\/p>\n

Jean Massieu has had a monitor and then a conservator in place over the past
\n21\/2 years who cited ongoing concerns about special education, staffing
\nqualifications and poor financial management.<\/p>\n

The school had long struggled to keep a school leader, Jean Massieu
\nofficials had said in past interviews.<\/p>\n

In the spring, conservator Rebecca Lofton reported that despite desperately
\nneeding revenue, school leaders did not follow up on opportunities such as
\nthose related to natural gas or working with the city to lease parking
\nspaces during Cowboys Stadium events. The business manager was removed this
\nsummer, and financial responsibilities were contracted out to the Region 11
\nEducation Service Center.<\/p>\n

In recent months, Lofton said that Superintendent Katherine Johnson had been
\nmaking significant improvements to the school and brought in experienced
\neducators and organized curriculum. Johnson began leading the school about
\ntwo years ago.<\/p>\n

In her January report, Lofton said that the board was more involved in
\nbuilding oversight but still needed to do more to raise funds for the
\ncampus. Lofton wrote that Johnson was working with teachers who were not
\nperforming up to standards but that data showed “continuing instructional
\nconcerns.”<\/p>\n

What happens next<\/p>\n

If Scott changed his mind about revoking the accreditation, he could decide
\nto appoint a board of managers to take over for the school’s board of
\ndirectors, spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson.<\/p>\n

If the revocation stands, the TEA will go to the campus after the school
\nyear ends and secure student records for families. Then they’ll settle up
\naccounts, paying anything that is owed back to the state or to parents,
\nCulbertson said. Students would return to their home district or another
\ncharter school in the fall.<\/p>\n

Culbertson said the decision to revoke accreditation isn’t one that Scott
\ntreats lightly. Several measures are taken, such as the conservatorship, to
\navoid it. Conservators act as the commissioner’s representative and can
\noverrule school officials on some decisions.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Culbertson said, some districts and charter schools cannot
\nregain their footing even with the state’s help. In those situations, “it’s
\nbetter just to give these kids a better chance, to get them out of a
\nsituation that’s almost hopeless,” she said.<\/p>\n

The Arlington, Birdville, Crowley and Fort Worth school districts work with
\nthe state to provide for students in the Regional Day School Program for the
\nDeaf. Arlington has such programs at Miller Elementary, Young Junior High
\nand Martin High schools.<\/p>\n

EVA-MARIE AYALA, 817-390-7700<\/p>\n

Source:
\nhttp:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/2010\/03\/10\/2031026\/jean-massieu-academy-in-arlington.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington ordered to close in summer By TRACI SHURLEY and EVA-MARIE AYALA tshurley@star-telegram.com, eayala@star-telegram.com ARLINGTON — The state ordered the Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington to close this summer after revoking its accreditation as a school…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[3695,268,23,3712,3713,24,121,951,267,3711,3709,3700,92,3701,3694,17,3698,3710],"class_list":["post-9698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-accreditation","tag-arlington","tag-asl","tag-birdville","tag-crowley","tag-deaf","tag-fort-worth","tag-jean-massieu-academy","tag-jma","tag-martin-high-school","tag-miller-elementary-school","tag-reconsideration","tag-school","tag-state-education-commissioner","tag-tea","tag-texas","tag-texas-education-agency","tag-young-junior-high-school"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-2wq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9687,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/14\/jean-massieu-academy-asks-state-to-reconsider-closing\/","url_meta":{"origin":9698,"position":0},"title":"Jean Massieu Academy asks state to reconsider closing","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Academy asks state to reconsider closing ARLINGTON -- Jean Massieu Academy, a charter school in Arlington that serves mostly deaf children and their siblings, has asked the Texas Education Agency to reconsider its move to revoke the school's accreditation and to close the school. The state agency announced Wednesday that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9679,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/11\/arlington-charter-school-will-close-after-losing-accreditation\/","url_meta":{"origin":9698,"position":1},"title":"Arlington charter school will close after losing accreditation","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Arlington charter school will close after losing accreditation March 10, 2010 By TRACI SHURLEY tshurley@star-telegram.com The Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington will close this summer after having its accreditation as a school district revoked, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday. The charter-school campus, which serves primarily deaf children and their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10719,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/05\/30\/arlington-charter-school-gets-a-reprieve-from-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":9698,"position":2},"title":"Arlington charter school gets a reprieve from Texas","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Arlington charter school gets a reprieve from Texas BY ROBERT CADWALLADER May 27, 2010 Special to the Star-Telegram ARLINGTON -- The Jean Massieu Academy has averted a July 1 shutdown after state officials determined that the charter school has improved its poor academic and financial performance. The Texas Education Agency\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16771,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/11\/24\/jma-head-of-arlington-school-for-deaf-children-departs\/","url_meta":{"origin":9698,"position":3},"title":"JMA: Head of Arlington school for deaf children departs","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"November 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Head of Arlington school for deaf children departs November 22, 2011 BY ROBERT CADWALLADER rcadwallader@star-telegram.com ARLINGTON -- The superintendent who has helped Jean Massieu Academy, a charter school primarily for deaf children and their families, improve its financial and academic standing with the state has departed the charter school for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9980,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/04\/05\/arlington-charter-school-fighting-to-stay-open\/","url_meta":{"origin":9698,"position":4},"title":"Arlington charter school fighting to stay open","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"April 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Arlington charter school fighting to stay open April 4, 2010 By TRACI SHURLEY tshurley@star-telegram.com ARLINGTON -- Educators at Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington say they're close to turning the low-performing school into a place where teachers and students consistently meet expectations. But first, the charter school's officials must persuade the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9948,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/04\/05\/jean-massieu-academcy-petition-please-sign-and-support-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":9698,"position":5},"title":"Jean Massieu Academcy Petition – Please Sign and Support us!","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"April 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Regarding the possible closure of Jean Massieu Academy The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has notified Jean Massieu Academy (JMA) and Jean Massieu Foundation of its current standing. In a letter dated March 24, 2010 TEA indicates an accreditation of \u201cNot Accredited-Revoked\u201d due to the academic accountability rating of \u201cAcademically Unacceptable\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/JMA-Eagles-2009-E-300x220.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9698"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9702,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9698\/revisions\/9702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}