The Houston Independent School District Board of Managers is gearing up for its upcoming board meeting on Aug. 10, where a decision will be made regarding the employment of assistant principals and deans without traditional certification.
The board is set to vote on whether to approve an application for a certification waiver that would allow the employment of these staff members without the requisite certification through the 2025-2026 school year.
This development follows a recent decision by HISD Superintendent Mike Miles, who aimed to address teacher vacancies for the upcoming school year by seeking a waiver from the Texas Education Agency. This waiver would grant permission for individuals to teach without fulfilling the usual certification requirements.
According to the school board meeting agenda, the rationale behind this request is because the “continuing shortage of certified educators across the state of Texas and the United States has resulted in the need for school districts to leverage these allowable TEA certification waiver options.”
It’s worth noting that Texas no longer issues assistant principal certifications. But the TEA provides requirements to obtain a principal certificate below:
- A Master’s Degree
- A valid classroom teaching certificate
- Two years of teaching experience
- Completion of two principal certification exams
- Completion of a principal educator preparation program
Notably, HISD had not sought a certification waiver for over a decade until June, when Superintendent Mike Miles obtained one to lead the district without an active superintendent certification, as confirmed by TEA records.
The board meeting agenda also covers other pertinent topics, such as teacher vacancies and additional teacher certification waivers. Alongside the waiver for assistant principals and deans, the district aims to address teacher shortages by seeking waivers for Texas certification requirements for teachers, with the goal of reducing vacancies before the start of the upcoming school year.