DALLAS, May 12 (UPI) -- State education officials Thursday announced plans to take over a Texas school district facing financial hardships and charges of cheating on tests.
Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley named a new superintendent and a five-member board of managers to run the Wilmer-Hutchins schools south of Dallas. The Department of Justice must approve the appointments.
"I've told this new board of managers that they've got two options: totally turn this district around or shut it down," the commissioner said.
Neeley said the time for "patches and timid steps" is past for the school district that has a history of problems stretching back 20 years.
Neeley said an investigation has confirmed allegations that 22 elementary teachers helped students cheat on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests.
On Saturday, voters in the district overwhelmingly refused to ratify a property tax rate that had been used illegally by the district for years. Current projections are that the district will be $5.7 million in the red by August.
