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Superintendent Terry Grier has announced his parting from the Houston Independent School District.

In its usual misguided manner, the Houston Chronicle has written a parting "tribute" on its editorial page.

The comments to the editorial are way better than the editorial itself, so I will post those first!

HUCHIPAPA Rank 7360

"We can't expect any school superintendent to accomplish the impossible without a united board."

You're kidding, right?

The only reason the board isn't united is because Terry Grier pits one board member against another. That's his calling card, that's his method of operation. It's happened here, in San Diego, in west Texas...you name the place, he left it shredded of harmony. His bullying tactics are well known towards Board members, parents, employees (and witnessed by Chronicle reporters as well as others, whether it's screaming at staff/board members, or threatening to close schools because someone or a community won't acquiesce); his heart is not in it for the kids but for the family and associates he has brought in for jobs (just the latest - a friend terminated from a District up north).

The Grier circus has made millions from this District; his legacy is one of disharmony (over a thousand of truly capable people have left the District out of disgust or being driven out), broken promises (unfinished/reduced bond work, Apollo non-achievement, lackluster execution of grandiose ideas like on-line textbooks but highly inadequate infrastructure to access, District curriculum materials rife with errors in content and timing), and possible criminal and civil litigation (side stepping state law regarding funding projects; erroneous terminations).

Shame on you, Chronicle. You are the only full source of news for this town and you blew it. But you were played by Grier since he hired one of your top editors from the beginning to neuter the only large source of news in town. You were complicit. Your hands are dirty.

It will take this District years to recover from the Grier reign of error. Years.

5 days ago

Navy281Pop Rank 2976

Well at least the press office is finally working for the check.

FraserLad Rank 1103

HISD is better ... ??? Better than what?? SAT scores are down. Dropout rate is still high. Just exactly did this over-paid bozo do? (A: Golden Parachute)

vikinghou Rank 1792

There is a major cultural problem in our society that undermines public education. We have gone from a society that felt education was critical to advancement to a culture that thinks it is cool to be stupid. There is a lot of blame to go around, but spending more money or schools or teachers is not the answer. If our young people look to the current media standout or athlete as their hero, it is no wonder we value stupidity. When school districts can find the money to build lavish stadiums, but have difficulty providing books and supplies, there is a fundamental problem.

Here in Texas there are many who regard education as something that will liberalize, and therefore, corrupt their children. They don't want their children to go to college where a professor might expect their children to think and, in their view, thinking ruins people.

Jamie_CD Rank 6363

@vikinghou Until the parents take the lead and become heroes again, the education problem will not be solved. Seeing heroes at home is how it should be in the real world. Parents need to get up and to a job everyday. Stay at home at night and lead the study sessions. If they do not have the necessary education to teach their kids the fundamentals then find someone who does. I'm conservative, I never worried about our daughter being liberalized by education. We raised our daughter to think for herself.

Canadian Mike Rank 1815
Yup, the government employees and Chronicle patting the outgoing superintendent on the back for not doing much of anything. HISD is probably not much better than the Mexican schools even though they spend lots more per student.
I don't think any of these proposals of the last 30 years will improve education. The schools get paid by the number of students that are in school. Every student is money to the school districts no matter how disruptive he or she (can I say he or she anymore) is. Pull the welfare programs (remove the safety net) and let the students see what happens if you don't get an education. That would probably do more than any of these BS proposals like Common Core.

Editorial: Terry Grier's leadership
The Houston Independent School District is better because of Terry Grier's leadership.

Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier announced Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in Houston that he is stepping down effective on March 1.

Grier became superintendent of Houston in 2009, leading the nation's seventh largest school district to win the Broad Prize for Urban Education in 2013.

( Steve Gonzales / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Steve Gonzales, Staff / © 2015 Houston Chronicle
Photo: Steve Gonzales, Staff

Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier announced Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in Houston that he is stepping down effective on March 1. Grier became superintendent of Houston in 2009, leading the nation's seventh largest school district to win the Broad Prize for Urban Education in 2013. ( Steve Gonzales / Houston Chronicle )Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier announced Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in Houston that he is stepping down effective on March 1. Grier became superintendent of Houston in 2009, leading the nation's seventh largest school district to win the Broad Prize for Urban Education in 2013. ( Steve Gonzales / Houston Chronicle )

It's difficult to turn around a giant school district in a short period of time, and criticism always accompanies change. Even modern day heroes to many - Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Ronald Reagan - might have tarnished their reputations had they accepted the day-to-day challenges confronting superintendents of urban schools.

No matter where you stand on Terry Grier, the outgoing superintendent of Houston Independent School District, you cannot deny that he did not back down from challenges that others would have sidestepped. Just five months on the job, the board, with his backing, passed a policy to allow student test data to be a factor in teacher assessment. Hundreds of teachers packed the meeting in protest. Grier stood his ground.

During the next six years, Grier, 65, was at his best imagining and leading a whirlwind of innovations: Apollo 20 schools that focused intensive tutoring resources on math and reading; Emerge, a program to support college-readiness and completion; rapid expansion of dual-language programs; expanded dual-credit programs; the PowerUp initiative that put more computers in students' hands; and the early childhood-focused Literacy By 3. He raised the issue of inequities in neighborhood schools and took the bold step of increasing the compensation rate for HISD's lowest-paid employees. The district won the Broad Prize for Urban Education - awarded to urban districts that show the greatest academic performance and improvement, particularly in closing the achievement gap between white and minority students. All the while, Grier contended with critics who tried to block reforms and others who accused him of dragging his feet.
Ultimately, however, Grier and his data-driven administration have struggled to turn new initiatives into demonstrable progress on student achievement. While graduation rates have risen as has the percentage of students taking AP exams, roughly 1 in 5 HISD campuses is low-performing based on the state's accountability system.

The district had 58 schools rated "improvement required" this year, up from 44 in 2014 ("Grier announces early exit" Page A1, Friday). Grier's signature reform effort, the three-year Apollo program, demonstrated significant gains in math but failed to duplicate that success in reading. The district had problems, as well, explaining how extra resources devoted to Apollo schools benefited campuses that did not receive the extra help.

With his characteristic candor, Grier himself summed up the state of Houston schools in a speech to a packed crowd of business and community leaders at the George R. Brown Convention Center earlier this year. "The truth is, the list of Houston schools that most of us in town would refuse to send our own children to is longer than the list of schools we consider acceptable for our own children."
The truth is, Grier had aspirations to turn that around. It didn't happen.

Still, because of Grier's leadership, HISD students will enjoy better facilities in the next decade. He showed political skill in putting together a coalition that helped convince voters to approve the largest bond issue ever passed for Texas schools in 2012. Nagging questions are being asked about the district's - and, by implication, Grier's - ability to manage the program efficiently. He bows out as the board has begun to explain why the record bond issue is insufficient to pay for all improvements that were promised, and whether the construction program will be fully implemented.

We thank Grier for his persistence, bluntness and innovative spirit. HISD made impressive gains in targeted areas under his leadership. As he embarks on a new career, he needs no advice from us; he will undoubtedly make a lot more money with a lot fewer headaches.
But we would ask the HISD board members and those newly elected in November to use this resignation as an opportunity. The board must decide on a clear vision before starting the process of engaging a new leader. We can't expect any school superintendent to accomplish the impossible without a united board.