On September 1, longtime DISD Board of Trustee member Ron Price announced that he will not be seeking a fifth term. His tenure will be remembered both for his tireless advocacy on behalf of District 9, as well as simmering controversies—many of them involving weighty issues of race, ethics and accountability. Price leaves in the shadow of a budget debacle that led to the dismissals of hundreds of teachers, a widely-criticized attempt to extend the terms of Board members from three years to four, and on-going questions about the Board’s commitment to transparency and ethics.
First elected in 1997, Price can boast several successes. He was instrumental in the creation of the all-girls Irma Rangel Leadership School, the Police/Fire Academy at James Madison High School, and in the creation of W.B. Travis Magnet High School. As budget and finance chair from 2003 to 2005, he oversaw a $1.1 billion district budget and a $1.3 billion bond program. He has emphasized behavior and discipline, pushing for strict dress codes and uniforms for elementary and middle schools. His tenure has seen improved test scores and higher teacher salaries.
For his part, Price isn’t bashful about his accomplishments. “From an education standpoint, I’m leaving my successor a fresh-off-the-assembly line Rolls Royce. Out of 38 schools, 11 are Exemplary and 7 are Recognized. We have five National Demonstration schools in my district, and we have the first all-girls public high school in the history of Texas. We have the most unique and probably the best arts magnet high school in the nation in Booker T. Washington Arts High School. So we have a lot of great things in place.”
But to his critics, Ron Price is symptomatic of a Board of Trustees that has gone astray from its core mandate of overseeing DISD schools, while adhering to the same standards of accountability that it demands of its teachers.
