Commissioner Morath Reflects on First Weeks on the Job
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your first few weeks on the job?
“It’s not so much a big lesson learned, but rather confirming a long-held belief as I’ve talked to folks from around the state. First and foremost, there are many people – parents and teachers at the top of that list – who truly care about the quality of education our children receive and who want to make sure we’re doing all we can to give every child a chance to succeed. It’s heartening to know that while we may differ on approach, we are all committed to the same goal.”
What are your priorities as Commissioner?
“My initial priorities revolve around: supporting our teachers, improving the transparency and effectiveness of our accountability system, and ensuring the Texas Education Agency is being of greatest service to school systems around the state. We must have a mindset that focuses on helping to improve performance and outcomes rather than simply focusing on compliance.”
How does your experience as a school board member help you in your job as Commissioner?
“I learned so much in my years as a local school board member. Dallas ISD is the second largest school system in our state with about 225 campuses that range from a few low-poverty to a large number of high-poverty campuses. There are different academic focuses, different grade configurations, all kinds of logistical issues, all levels of community engagement issues, and board members have to understand it all. But the primary responsibilities of board members are setting policy and exercising oversight, duties that are fairly similar to that of the Commissioner.”
What do people need to know about how you approach your job as Commissioner?
“That every decision I make will be driven by one question: Are we doing what’s best for the kids in our state? I think most parents would tell you that when it comes to education, the rules, issues and processes quickly become complex. Public education seems to have a language of its own – and most of that language is in acronyms. Regardless of the many decisions I will have to make in the coming years, I can assure you that doing what’s best for our children – and that is every child in all parts of our state – will be the driving force.”
Commissioner Mike Morath
Feb. 12, 2016