When it comes to the city’s largest teacher’s union, they aren’t taking their foot off the gas when it comes to expressing their frustration with HISD Superintendent Mike Miles and the Board of Managers.
The Houston Federation of Teachers, alongside educators and community activists, stood across the street from the entrance of the Hattie Mae White Administration Building for its “Take Back Our Schools” picket on Oct. 20.
Hundreds of people marched and chanted “Education is right! That’s why we have to fight!” and their signature “Hey hey, ho ho, TEA has got to go!”
The march followed a series of speeches including testimonials from American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, encouraging participants to keep up the fight against the changes within the HISD.
People came from different parts of the United States, many of whom did not have children who attended schools in the district. However, they wanted to support the cause, because the concerns regarding HISD have grown into a national issue. And with election season around the corner Weingarten spared no time reminding people about the importance of their vote.
[ENTER PHOTOS 2-5]
Dr. Maria Benzon is an HISD parent and educator who does not support Miles’ reform plan and said she refused to blindly comply with the “curriculum and its errors and not being age appropriate.”
“We stand unified for three reasons. One, to end this hostile takeover; two, to restore democracy with an elected board; and three, to support public schools by treating teachers professionally, valuing students for more than a test score, and partnering with parents,” she said to the crowd. “This is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Michelle Mayberry-Johnson is an educator who is concerned about the “teacher’s autonomy to teach.” With the new teaching format, she is afraid she won’t be able to reach students who may need more assistance beyond the standard “cookie cutter” materials across the board for all students.
“I want my students to be able to critically think and just not find answers,” she said. “We need to fill in the gaps, not create more [of them].”
Paloma Garner is an educator and parent of children who attend non-NES schools. She said she can feel the pressure of “time and increased testing” happening on the campuses, and is concerned about the future of specialty schools.
“We are waiting for the accountability rating to come out. We are working incredibly hard right now to do everything we can to increase student performance so that we don’t end up on that list [NES school],” she said. “We are being really intentional and strategic. We are playing a numbers game, but our instruction is quality and we are not sacrificing [that].”
Since Miles assumed leadership of the district, numerous policy changes have been implemented. This includes the rollout of the “New Education System” program in 85 district schools, resulting in the removal of 28 librarians and the transformation of libraries into Team Centers. Staff at these initial 28 schools had to reapply for their positions. These changes have brought about district-created curricula and increased testing during lessons.
Additionally, the district recently passed a pay-for-performance plan for principals, where pay is tied to various factors, including student outcomes, assessment results, school action plans, and instructional quality. High-performing principals may earn nearly $200,000 annually, while those on the lowest scale designation can make up to $130,000 a year.
Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, told the Defender that the fight will not stop here.
“There will be ongoing actions,” she said, “and continuing talks with the federal government.”
