Paxton Calls Appeals Court Ruling Victory for School Accountability

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has announced a win for transparency and educational accountability after the Fifteenth Court of Appeals upheld Texas’ authority to issue annual A to F performance ratings for public schools. The decision supports Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath’s legal ability to release these performance ratings, which had been delayed in 2023 because of external circumstances.

“Despite state law requiring the annual issuance of A to F grades for public schools, rogue school districts have fought for years to hide their report cards,” the attorney general said in a statement. “This is a major victory for accountability and transparency in Texas’s educational system that will strengthen the ability of parents and students to ensure that public schools fulfill their responsibilities.”

The dispute arose when school districts challenged Commissioner Morath’s attempt to issue the 2023 ratings after a missed deadline. A Travis County district court sided with the districts, blocking the release of the ratings. However, the appeals court reversed that decision, vacating the injunction and dismissing the lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction.

Chief Justice Scott Brister, in a concurring opinion, emphasized the importance of swift decision-making in school performance matters.

In the opinion, Justice Brister wrote that “Failing schools require prompt action from state and local officials, from students and their families, and from voters.” “The 19-month delay occasioned by litigating these issues in court shows why the Legislature could reasonably declare that the Commissioner should be the final and ultimate arbiter of them.”

Attorney General Paxton is rumored to be launching a Senatorial bid, which would pit him against incumbent Texas Senator John Cornyn (R). The attorney general has made it clear that Senator Cornyn has been ineffective in the Senate and that it’s time for him to be ousted.