In June of 2023, Houston Independent School District was taken over by the state of Texas. The 2.89 billion dollar district has seen major renovations, changing staff and faculty, and backlash from parents, students, and teachers. What is happening in HISD? And why is it concerning for us?
“It just feels like the community is being ignored,” Houston ISD grandparent and protester Coretta Fontenot said.
With 276 schools and 196,943 students, Houston Independent School District is the largest district in Texas. In March of 2023, Texas officials announced that the Houston school district would be taken over by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). This takeover, which included a more intense focus on standardized testing and the replacement of superintendents, has created widespread change in the district.
“It’s not the people in this room that are the problems, it’s the district leadership,” Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner and leader of the takeover Mike Morath said. Morath promised to improve the district’s test scores, especially in underperforming areas.
Not everyone agrees with these changes. Some parents are concerned that increased focus on test scores will undermine schools.
“If they’re being told that the only thing that matters is STAAR scores, then you can’t weigh in when the community is concerned about other matters,” one Houston parent said. “I want my child to learn, but I also want my child to be happy at school.”
This state takeover is led by state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles. His entrance into HISD has attracted adverse reactions and polarized opinions since March’s announcement.
Stephen Spillman / The Texas Tribune
Some policies circulating around the controversy of Miles include replacing libraries with detention (ISS) centers, disbanding most special-needs programs, and making the school year longer. Increased routine and schedule-based learning (TEKs) has made many teachers fear that their school will turn into an assembly line.
“There’s no point in being a teacher if you’re reading a script, that’s not the career that I signed up for,” HISD teacher Sarah Rivlin said.
Opposers criticize Miles for focusing primarily on schools that are demographically disadvantaged.
“If we just focus on taking over school districts because they underperform, we would have a lot more takeovers, but that’s not what happens,” professor of political science and public services at NYU Domingo Morel said.
STAAR tests are a major part of being taken over by the state. Nac ISD has just under 3% of the population of Houston ISD and also has a C rating across the board from TEA. Houston has a B. TEA scores are based on STAAR results, college readiness, and academic growth. We are deficient in these areas and in graduation percentages.
“We are no longer an independent school district. But we will also not be a silent school district,” leader of the Houston Federation of Teachers, Jackie Anderson said.