They have ’em. Some I totally agree with. Others, well, we’ll see.
Houston ISD is expected to expand several of its controversial reforms during the 2024-25 school year, according to a preliminary version of the district’s plans shared earlier this month.
HISD’s state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles presented a draft version of the district’s action plan to the District Advisory Committee last week, along with the Board of Managers. He also previewed the plan with the Principal Advisory Committee and the Teacher Advisory Committee.
The plan, as of March 17, lists 10 of the district’s planned “key actions” for next year, which include plans to reduce hundreds of central office staff positions, call a bond election in November and mandate leadership training for principals.
The listed key actions also include several previously announced plans or initiatives, such as expanding the New Education System to 45 schools, adding hundreds of additional pre-K seats, and creating a new teacher evaluation system to implement in the 2025-2026 school year.
In a statement, HISD said the final version of the document is expected to be publicly released in mid-May, along with the budget proposal.
Here are the goals – the story gives some background info on each of them – with my annotations.
1. Additional New Education System schools
2. November bond election
3. Higher quality instruction
4. Strengthened principal leadership
5. Special education instruction, services
6. Central office efficiency
7. K-8 reading proficiency
8. College, career and military readiness
9. Pre-K program expansion
10. Teacher evaluation, compensation system
Numbers 3, 5, and 7 through 9 all sound good. Number 2, the bond election, is badly needed but more than ever will the details be of vital importance; I would absolutely be willing to play hardball in return for my support on it. Number 4, I think it’s fair to say at this point, is controversial. Number 6 is needed to try to meet the fiscal needs of everything Mike Miles is doing as well as the current budget situation. All we’ve gotten on it so far have been a lot more talk than action. That leaves numbers 1 and 10, and that’s all tied up very much in one’s belief that Miles has us on the right track, among other things. I don’t think I have anything new to add to what I’ve been saying, so let’s leave this here as a note for future reference. We’ll definitely be coming back to the bond one, trust me on that.