Home-rule. It's a phrase on the lips of countless Dallas community leaders. It's mentioned in newspaper headlines and Twitter feeds. It's the topic of conversation during school board meetings and water cooler conversations.
It's also become a buzz word.
What exactly is home-rule charter? It's a proposal to give Dallas ISD more autonomy in regard to state regulations and extended school year. This means the district would not be bound by state laws, making it easier to fire teachers and modify curriculum.
Although home-rule has raised recent debate with Support Our Public Schools' petition, it's hardly a new concept. In 1995, George W. Bush signed a bill allowing Texas school districts to adopt home-rule charter. Nearly 20 years later, Mayor Mike Rawlings and others are pushing for Dallas to become to the state's first home-rule district.
Last night, several Dallas leaders met to discuss the opposition to home-rule. The coalition included DISD trustees and a state education board member, agreeing that home-rule would create a dystopia in the district. One trustee, Carla Ranger, called the proposition a "radical assault on the district" and questions Support Our Public Schools' (SOPS) true motives.
Ranger said, "I call this group SOPS, as in 'sopping up,' as opposed to 'support our public schools.' They are sopping up our voting rights. They are sopping up democracy. They are sopping up the public in public education."
Those who support home-rule believe an extended school year and modified curriculum would give DISD a "competitive advantage" that would keep middle-class families in the district. When Rawlings announced public support of home-rule he explained, "We have had 25,000 of the 'haves' leave this school district in the last 10 years. This is the big elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about."
The district is talking about it now. However, the arguments may be moot. SOPS's petition must obtain nearly 25,000 signatures for the school board to create a commission to even consider home-rule.