Lessons from Mr. Pace

By Akwete Hines

Arthur L. Pace was the longtime Houston ISD Jesse H. Jones High School principal who passed away recently at 94.  I was reminded of his steadfast commitment to fairness and high standards when Pro Publica and the Texas Tribune published an article exposing the lack of fairness by Texas Education Agency commissioner Mike Morath with his decision to unilaterally take over the state’s largest school district.  The article revealed that the commissioner stated that his decision to dismiss the elected school board members and appoint a state manager (superintendent) was made after 1 of the 270 schools had not met state education standards for seven consecutive years.  Surprisingly, the commissioner did not apply the same standard when state charter schools failed to meet state standards.  Instead, on 17 occasions, it was reported that Mike Morath waived expansion requirements for charter networks with too many failing campuses.   So, instead of applying the same standard that he used with Houston ISD, the commissioner allowed the charter schools to continue and authorized their expansion.  Thus, he rewarded failing charter schools with more schools and punished the largest school district in the state with a takeover based on the results of .4% of its schools. 

Unlike the commissioner, Mr. Pace had principles and standards applied to everyone.  He wore a suit daily, and his teachers dressed professionally, too.  He required his students, especially the males, to take pride in their appearances, and his standards applied to everyone. 

Mr. Pace had a 45-year distinguished career as an educator.  I met Mr. Pace when I enrolled in the Jesse H. Jones Vanguard program in the eleventh grade.  In addition to our appearance, he ensured that we had the best educational opportunities, from AP Calculus and  AP English to creative writing taught by a Rice University professor and a female chemistry savant who molded my sister into passing AP Chemistry and her future as a chemical engineer.

Mr. Pace was also active in his student's lives.  He had an open door at school that afforded his students unique experiences.  He supported his students, from marching in the Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans to supporting academic teams in debate and state problem-solving contests.  Unlike the TEA commissioner, he embraced the high-risk South Park community and accepted the challenge to help uplift all students.

Mr. Pace was a change agent.  He left an indelible memory with his students because he cared.  He wanted his students to live full lives, and, from his caring, he produced pre-eminent real estate developers, physicians, dentists, actresses, engineers, educators, accountants, and business owners. 

Finally, we can learn from Mr. Pace that decisions made by those in leadership today are everlasting.  As Mr. Pace exemplifies, excellent leadership produces quality citizens and generational benefits.  Poor leadership and punitive decisions have historically led to a school-to-prison pipeline and hurt communities. Mr. Arthur L. Pace made sure he left an enduring positive impact on South Park, Houston, and Falcons nationwide.  Thank you, Mr. Pace.