Tag Archives: schools

Seriously, what the hell is going on at HISD?

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Well, three things that aren’t just straight-up WTF? Juniors and seniors at Houston ISD’s DeBakey High School for Health Professions walked into their AP Physics classes at the beginning of the school … Continue reading →

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Do unto public schools as you would not do to charter schools

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Infuriating, but hardly surprising. In June, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath embarked on the largest school takeover in recent history, firing the governing board and the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District after one of its more than … Continue reading →

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HISD releases its special education plan

Posted on October 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see. Houston ISD’s administration rolled out a long-anticipated list of fixes to its special education programs Thursday, unveiling plans aimed at rectifying the district’s persistent problems with serving students with disabilities. In a presentation to HISD’s state-appointed school board, … Continue reading →

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HISD update threefer

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t keep up with all of the HISD stories, so I’m going to just highlight a couple of recent ones. Rumors of closure spark third rally at HISD campus as parents consider options. The family joined a Wednesday afternoon … Continue reading →

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Two book ban updates

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Bad news. A state law banning “sexually explicit” books from Texas schools will now go into effect, after an appeals court temporarily blocked a lower court ruling. The three-judge panel did not offer any reasoning. Their decision is temporary until … Continue reading →

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Katy ISD’s book banning

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What are these people doing? Katy Independent School District has remained silent on the reasons 14 additional books were removed from shelves and how the district’s book review policy is being implemented, despite a public pledge of transparency on book … Continue reading →

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Once again with questions about Mike Miles’ finances

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

More good work from Houston Landing. New Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans for the district are built on the promise of more. More pay for teachers. More staff in classrooms. More security officers on campuses. But all of those … Continue reading →

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The MOB versus Mike Miles

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Presented for all the obvious reasons. Rice University’s marching band mocked state-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles during their halftime show at Saturday’s football game against Texas Southern University. The small band, known as The Mob, performed a brief “Austin … Continue reading →

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More on the HISD District of Innovation pursuit

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some good stuff from the Chron. Houston ISD took the first step Thursday in the process to be a District of Innovation, a move that would allow it to seek exemptions to several state laws. To become a DOI, an … Continue reading →

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“District of innovation”

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this means. Houston ISD’s state-appointed school board unanimously voted Thursday to begin the process of becoming a “District of Innovation,” a move that could ultimately allow the district to extend the school year for students and teachers. … Continue reading →

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Katy ISD attacks its LGBTQ+ students

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Shameful. Katy Independent School District trustees narrowly voted Monday to enact several restrictions on how employees can handle gender identity matters after listening to over four hours of public testimony overwhelmingly against the measure. In a heated 4-3 vote, Katy … Continue reading →

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A couple of thoughts as the HISD school year starts

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board has them, and so do I. So, in the spirit of the first day, we are setting out three of our own classroom expectations and concerns. We’ll skip the niceties too. Miles needs to control the … Continue reading →

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Why does Mike Miles want classroom doors open?

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know. That seems to be a regular thing. Only a fence with holes and rotting wood planks stands between the back side of Coop Elementary School and the outside world. Last year, a man tried to scale it … Continue reading →

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About those HISD central office cuts

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

More illusion than reality so far, it seems. A cornerstone of Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans for overhauling the district — rapidly eliminating nearly 700 jobs in its “bloated” central office — appears to be exaggerated by the district’s … Continue reading →

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Republicans finally agree on a property tax cut

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Our moderate-length semi-statewide bit of unpleasantness is coming to an end. Probably. The $18 billion compromise between the Texas House and Senate — which includes more than $5 billion approved for relief in 2021 — would give increased tax relief … Continue reading →

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I still don’t get how Mike Miles is going to do what he says

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with the big plans that appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles is touting. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles unveiled a dramatically expanded plan for the district at a Thursday board meeting, announcing 150 schools will see “wholesale systemic reform” … Continue reading →

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An HISD roundup

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

So much news, sometimes all you can do is link ’em up… The HISD Board of Managers had its second meeting on Thursday. It was mostly calm and quiet in the auditorium as new Houston ISD board members listened to a presentation about … Continue reading →

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Pearland ISD data breach

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t mean for this sort of thing to become my beat, but it is very much of interest to me, and should be of interest to you. Pearland ISD has notified current and former students that their private information … Continue reading →

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Miles picks a team

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He keeps moving, I’m trying to keep up. Newly appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles‘ first cabinet selections include a mix of HISD staff members, former employees of his charter school network, administrators from across Texas and educational analysts. Miles’ … Continue reading →

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The final 227

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Somewhere in here are your Board of Managers. With about a week until the Texas Education Agency plans to appoint a new Houston ISD superintendent and board of managers, the state agency says it is still considering more than 200 … Continue reading →

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The last HISD Board of Trustees meeting

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is takeover time. The Texas Education Agency is still aiming to appoint a new Houston ISD superintendent and a board of managers as planned on or around June 1, according to an agency representative. The new leaders will … Continue reading →

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Abbott threatens special session if he doesn’t get his voucher bill passed

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not the Lege these days without a special session threat. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday said he would veto a toned-down version of a bill to offer school vouchers in Texas, and threatened to call legislators back for special … Continue reading →

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We ask again if the HISD Board should bother doing anything right now

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I think the answer is still mostly No, but there’s some nuance to that. The Houston Independent School District board met Thursday to discuss potential cuts to the district’s $2.2 billion budget as it faces a growing a growing deficit and a … Continue reading →

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Spring Branch ISD versus “James and the Giant Peach”

Posted on May 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following is a guest post, written by my friend Diana Martinez Alexander. I occasionally run guest posts, some of which I solicit and some of which are sent to me. Southlake. Garland. Frisco. Now Spring Branch is pushing … Continue reading →

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First round of cuts for Board of Managers wannabes

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were two hundred and twenty-five. Fewer than half of the people who applied for the Houston ISD board of managers completed a weekend governance training required to move forward in the application process, according to the Texas … Continue reading →

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Even more Board of Managers applicants

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe now they have enough. When the Texas Education Agency in June appoints a new superintendent and nine managers to govern the Houston Independent School District, longtime educator and mother Anita Wadhwa hopes there will be someone like her sitting … Continue reading →

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Our first look at the Board of Managers wannabes

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

An eclectic group, to say the least. The Chronicle on Friday obtained through a public records request a list of people who applied to the position through the end of March. In total, 374 people applied through the deadline last … Continue reading →

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TEA takeover approved by trustees

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

That was a formality and will be noted later in the post, but first there was this. Members of the Houston ISD board of trustees peppered a Texas Education Agency representative with questions about the upcoming takeover at a public … Continue reading →

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So many Board of Managers applicants

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I sure wonder what the process to sort through all of these will be. More than 370 people applied for nine spots on the board that will govern Houston ISD, wrapping up the first step in the Texas Education Agency’s … Continue reading →

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HISD students walk out in protest of TEA takeover

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Five minutes into her second-period class, Elizabeth Rodriguez and her classmates at Northside High School stood up and walked out to protest the Texas Education Agency’s planned intervention in Houston’s sprawling, diverse public school district. The 18-year-old … Continue reading →

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What was even the point of those TEA “engagements” with the public?

Posted on March 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The public certainly doesn’t think it got anything out of them. Teacher Monica Zepeda wrapped up an after-school tutoring session on Wednesday night and headed to a community forum at Delmar Stadium sporting her Pilgrim Academy lanyard. She stepped up … Continue reading →

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Chron editorial board interviews Mike Morath

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There’s video and a transcript here. After explaining that he missed the initial TEA community engagement sessions because he was “under the weather”, he gets asked the key question: Lisa Falkenberg 1:55 Mhmm. Okay, and then, so, we’re trying to … Continue reading →

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The upcoming week in legislative gay-bashing

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, from Equality Texas: Monday, 3/27 Action Alerts & Upcoming Hearings HB 1686, the companion bill to SB 14, would ban trans youth from access to health care. We cannot let this pass. The hearing for HB 1686 begins … Continue reading →

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So now we start processing what happened and what will happen with the TEA takeover

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board points to three key items. Still, if this takeover must happen — and Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday that it is indeed happening — we want it to work. Houston’s schoolchildren don’t have time for another … Continue reading →

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