Laura’s Recap
Hot takes on the moments that shaped 2023
The Houston Independent School District (HISD), the largest school district in Texas and the eighth largest in the United States, underwent several changes this year, and it’s not even the end of the year yet. These operational, logistical, and administrative shifts affected teachers, students, and community members alike.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) intervened in the affairs of the school district, citing poor academic performances, misconduct against school board members, and conservator presence as the reasons.
The new superintendent, Mike Miles, was placed at the helm of HISD to bring it back on track. Since then, he devised his vision under ‘Destination 2035,’ which aims to bridge academic gaps and equip students for the workforce. He has also emphasized the importance of systemic reform that includes the improvement of academic achievements among Black and Hispanic students.
Here is a quick recap of what went down at HISD in the past few months.
THE TAKEOVER THAT STARTED IT ALL
The Texas Education Agency took over the Houston Independent School District in the summer, citing repeated low student performance at Phillis Wheatley High School and alleged misconduct by previous trustees. The TEA appointed nine new board of managers, who replaced HISD’s board of trustees and now have the same job roles and responsibilities as the trustees. It also appointed the board members because of the presence of a conservator, assigned to the district for more than two years. The trustees will gradually regain their control of HISD once it satisfies TEA’s several exit criteria. In November, HISD held elections to select trustees from two districts (three and four), where Dani Hernandez and Patricia K. Allen emerged victorious. Meanwhile, two other candidates – H. A. “Savant” Moore and Placido Gomez – ran unopposed for Districts 2 and 8 and were appointed to the two open seats.
INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM AND ITS COROLLARIES (NES-A)
Miles identified and restructured the curriculum and staffing of 28 schools at HISD. The Black-majority high schools included Worthing, Yates, Madison, Sterling, Wheatley, Kashmere, Jones Future Academy, and Booker T. Washington High Schools. Teachers, principals, and staff members had to reapply for their positions and were offered higher salaries than non-NES employees. Soon after, in July, 57 additional schools opted for the New Education System Aligned (NESA) initiative and underwent similar changes. Miles outlined his plans to expand the programming at NES schools, which includes standardized curricula, pre-prepared lesson plans, and support for teachers, to encompass 150 campuses by 2030. He also introduced the Dyad program, where contractors would come to schools to teach ‘enrichment skills’ like photography, guitar, golf, and yoga, among others.
UPHEAVAL OF TEACHERS’ AND PRINCIPALS’ JOBS AND SALARY STRUCTURES
Miles introduced new evaluation systems for teachers and principals that follow a pay-for-performance model. They were previously paid on the basis of experience and education levels. He also implemented a principal evaluation system which will pay high-performing principals $65,000 more than the lowest-rated ones. The evaluation will depend on student achievement (35%), the quality of instruction (30%), climate and culture action plans (15%), and special education compliance (20%) at schools.
Since TEA took over, teachers were asked to accept the NES program or be reassigned to a non-NES campus and a state-approved teacher evaluation system by the HISD board of managers. The Houston Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit against the evaluation system as HISD did not explain the model well enough and was going to use it to evaluate teachers’ employment status and salaries, questionable performances, and raise confusion about teachers’ pay structures. HISD decided to keep using the state-approved Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System.
It also garnered criticism from teachers because the plan suggested a target distribution, where 20% of teachers fall into the top tiers, 40% are marked as “proficient,” and the other 40% of teachers are evaluated as less than “proficient.” Several teachers also encountered challenges with their contract processing and discrepancies in pay.
Teachers also complained of stress due to extra working hours without pay, keeping classroom doors open at all times, and extensive lesson plans.
Meanwhile, HISD opened its seventh Sunrise Center in November, aimed at offering hubs for wellness and social resources for students and their families. These centers are a $12 million project, established through partnerships with local community organizations.
FREQUENT CHANGES IN LEADERSHIP
Out of the principals who had to reapply for their jobs in NES schools, 17 were invited to rejoin their schools. Non-NES schools also underwent changes in leadership. Principals at Sharpstown, Worthing, and Yates, where principals were reassigned, were located in low-income neighborhoods with a majority of the residents being of color.
Miles released a statement that read, “My leadership team and I reviewed existing plans for the future of these schools and determined that new leadership was necessary to drive the kind of improvement these high schools need to start preparing their students and graduates well for the workplace and world that waits for them after high school.”
Earlier, Miles and his team eliminated 2,347 positions at HISD. “Take this as a red flag,” Turner wrote on X. “Next – program cuts, charter schools, and school consolidations. Why? Because the state doesn’t want to fund fully public education.”
LIBRARIES TURNED INTO DISCIPLINARY CENTERS
In the summer, Miles announced that libraries would turn into “team centers” or disciplinary spaces, where students who misbehave will be sent, and they will have to continue to learn remotely. He also eliminated librarian and media specialist positions at the 28 NES schools. The Houston Defender’s managing editor and renowned author, ReShonda Tate, who is a former student of HISD and a frequenter of her school library, wrote, “Books and the roles of school librarians are already under attack across the nation. It’s disheartening that a district, which primarily serves minority children, would join in that battle.” Protesters gathered at the HISD central office to oppose this decision and also organized a “read-in” protest, with books in hand, at a board of managers meeting in August.
HISD TO BECOME A “DISTRICT OF INNOVATION”
In September, the HISD board of managers unanimously approved Mile’s plans to designate HISD as a “District of Innovation,” which will allow it to bypass certain educational regulations and gain control over critical areas in education such as educator certification academic calendars, class sizes, and teacher benefits. Laws that govern curriculum, special education, school board authority, and the Texas academic accountability system do not fall under the ambit of this designation. Additionally, 965 out of 1,200 school districts in Texas have already obtained this designation.
