MARLIN, Texas — The superintendent of the Marlin Independent School district responded after parents said they were worried about the fate of the district.
Parents became concerned after the Texas Education Agency sent a letter revoking the district's accreditation and let parents know the state no longer recognizes Marlin ISD as a public school district.
According to the TEA, Marlin ISD has been an "F" school district for quite some time.
They failed the state academic accountability ratings for eight years in a row, but this does not necessarily mean the school district is closing.
Marlin resident Patrick Magourik has a daughter who is a student at Marlin ISD. He began to worry about the future of her education after he heard that the district failed to meet state standards for the eighth year in a row.
"My daughter goes to school here. I've lived here all my life. I don't want to see my daughter go to another school. I want her to graduate from Marlin High School just like I did," Magourik said.
TEA sent a letter to parents that said the district received a 2019-2020 accreditation status of "Not Accredited-Revoked."
Mayor Carolyn Lofton said she is still trying to figure out what this will mean for students.
“It doesn't look good,” Lofton said. “I think with just reading that, a lot of people are having issues with that. They are panicking about it."
City officials announced in January a charter school will be pursued as an option for students if the district closes. They hired former Waco ISD superintendent, Dr. Marcus Nelson, as a consultant to help them figure it out.
"Without a public education, your community dies,” Lofton said. “Families don't want to live in a community that has no school system. They have children. They need to be educated, so they move to districts that do."
Marlin Superintendent Dr. Jean Bahney said parents who have seniors in high school should not worry. Bahney said last year they were not accredited and students graduated, received their diploma and got great scholarships to college.
In an email, Bahney said Marlin ISD requested an informal review of last year's data and the accreditation assigned. The Texas Education Agency granted that review.
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