Tag Archives: Texas Education Agency

TEA still barred from taking over HISD

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still in a state of limbo. Texas is still temporarily barred from taking over Houston Independent School District, a state appellate court ruled Wednesday, upholding a lower court’s order. In a 2-1 ruling, the Texas Third Court of Appeals upheld … Continue reading →

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STAAR yes, school ratings no

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like this is where we were always headed. Texas public school students will still take the STAAR test this spring, but the state will not rate schools and districts based on their results, the Texas Education Agency announced Thursday. … Continue reading →

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HISD Board selects a successor for Wanda Adams

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Myrna Guidry. Houston ISD trustees unanimously voted Tuesday to appoint lawyer Myrna Guidry to the board seat vacated last month by Wanda Adams, who represented parts of south Houston. Trustees considered eight applicants over two days before landing on … Continue reading →

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Can we please not screw the schools right now?

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Really, we don’t have to do this. Across the Houston region and Texas, school districts that lost enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic are facing a drop in state funds starting in January if the Texas Education Agency or state lawmakers … Continue reading →

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Remote learning has been hard for many students

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is a problem that I don’t think we’re prepared to deal with. Students across Greater Houston failed classes at unprecendented rates in the first marking period, with some districts reporting nearly half of their middle and high schoolers received … Continue reading →

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Not everyone wants to skip the STAAR

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There are no kids in this group. Fourteen Texas school superintendents, including those leading Dallas, Fort Worth and Aldine ISDs, joined with several business and education advocacy organizations Thursday to voice support for continuing to give standardized tests to students … Continue reading →

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Legislators call for no STAAR test this year

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me, and very fine by my kids. A bipartisan group of 68 Texas House representatives signed a letter calling on the Texas Education Agency to cancel the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam or at minimum … Continue reading →

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More on the Lathan non-hiring

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some sharp criticism from local leaders about the HISD Board’s decision not to hire interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan permanently. About 20 of Houston’s leading Black elected officials, clergy and racial justice advocates called Tuesday for Houston ISD’s school board to … Continue reading →

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HISD Board declines to hire Lathan permanently

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A national search will be conducted, with still-interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan encouraged to apply. Houston ISD trustees voted Thursday against committing to Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan as the district’s long-term leader, opting instead to launch a national search before filling … Continue reading →

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HISD to consider hiring Lathan permanently

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Houston ISD trustees are scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to name Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan as the lone finalist to lead the district, an unanticipated development amid ongoing litigation over the state’s effort to oust HISD’s elected board … Continue reading →

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No school on Election Day

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For HISD, anyway. Houston ISD will not hold virtual or in-person classes on Election Day, district officials said late Tuesday, a reversal of earlier plans to provide online-only instruction because more than 100 schools will be used as polling places. … Continue reading →

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HISD needs a bond referendum

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Easier said than done, though. Houston ISD appeared to be on track in mid-February to put a bond election on the ballot this November, taking a critical step toward asking voters for the first time since 2012 to let it borrow money … Continue reading →

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Back to the classroom for some

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope this goes well, but I remain worried. With the novel coronavirus still top of mind, HISD will welcome back an estimated 80,000-plus of its nearly 200,000 students to classrooms Monday, becoming the region’s final large district to … Continue reading →

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Lots of HISD students will stay remote for now

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The people have spoken. If the state’s largest district follows through with reopening campuses to students on Oct. 19 — the tentative plan, still based on public health conditions — more than half of the district’s nearly 200,000 could remain … Continue reading →

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So far so good on school reopening

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still early, though. For the first Houston-area school districts to resume in-person classes, the early results for COVID-19 on campus are in: so far, mostly so good. Eight districts that brought children back to schools in August are reporting … Continue reading →

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Back to school

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How’d it go for you and your kids? On a normal first day of school, Texas children would wake up early to cram into school buses, eager to huddle and chat with their friends in the hallways before streaming toward … Continue reading →

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HISD may do remote learning on Election Day

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Makes sense to me. Houston ISD’s administration wants to hold online-only classes on Election Day this November, citing safety concerns at more than 100 campuses that are expected to be used as polling locations. “While it is not unusual for … Continue reading →

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Politico profile of Lina Hidalgo

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. In late April, Lina Hidalgo stood at a microphone in the Harris County emergency operations center in Houston and pushed up the teal fabric face mask that had slipped off her nose. Her voice was slightly muffled as … Continue reading →

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Some superintendents disagree about school opening delays

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It takes all kinds. Superintendents leading 10 Houston-area school districts penned a letter this week opposing Harris County’s recommendations for reopening campuses, arguing that face-to-face instruction should resume earlier than health officials suggest. In their two-page letter, the superintendents say … Continue reading →

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Harris County to buy digital devices for students

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

An excellent use of CARES money. Harris County commissioners on Tuesday voted to spend up to $32 million in federal COVID-19 funds on providing hundreds of thousands of WiFi hotspots and devices to children in school districts across the county. … Continue reading →

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Harris County issues guidance for opening schools

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t issue mandates, so this will have to do. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday unveiled the county’s guidance for school reopenings, recommending based on a handful of COVID-19 metrics that schools offer only virtual instruction in the … Continue reading →

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Who needs testing?

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the surest way to see the infection rate decline, am I right? The number of Texans being tested for the coronavirus has fallen sharply in recent weeks, a trend that has worried public health experts as officials consider sending … Continue reading →

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The school situation remains a mess

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a mess of Greg Abbott’s making. Some superintendents say that despite Abbott’s statements to the contrary, their ability to respond to the pandemic is still limited, and many of their questions have gone unanswered even as school is slated … Continue reading →

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An analysis of that Paxton opinion about schools and county health authorities

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Short version: That’s just, like, his opinion, man. The law should mean what it says. Rule §97.6(h) of the Texas Administrative Code says: “The health authority is empowered to close any public or private child-care facility, school or other place … Continue reading →

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Abbott finally speaks about schools

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of course, he mostly says weasel words. Gov. Greg Abbott clarified Friday that Texas schools will be required to provide in-person instruction this fall, but that some districts may be eligible for extended waivers on a “case-by-case basis.” In a … Continue reading →

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The school situation remains a big ol’ mess

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You can blame Greg Abbott for all this confusion. After weeks of confusion and conflicting signals, Texas has settled into policies that effectively compel schools to reopen their classrooms this fall no later than eight weeks after the academic year … Continue reading →

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Paxton overrides county health orders on schools

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So much concern for the children here. Local health officials do not have the authority to shut down all schools in their vicinity while COVID-19 cases rise, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in nonbinding guidance Tuesday that contradicts what … Continue reading →

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Harris County issues school closure order

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected. Harris County and Houston health authorities on Friday ordered all public and non-religious private schools to delay opening for in-person instruction until at least Sept. 8 — a date likely to be extended unless the region sees … Continue reading →

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TEA updates its school-opening guidance

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They heard the outcry. Facing growing backlash from teachers, parents and health officials, Texas education officials Friday relaxed a previous order that would have given public schools just three weeks from the start of the fall semester to reopen their … Continue reading →

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Schools get an in person opening reprieve

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It started with this. Texas will give school districts more flexibility to keep their school buildings closed to in-person instruction this fall as coronavirus cases continue to rise, Gov. Greg Abbott told a Houston television station Tuesday. Public health guidance … Continue reading →

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HISD being investigated over special education

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Flagging this for later discussion. Texas Education Agency officials are deep into a wide-ranging investigation of Houston ISD’s special education department, examining whether district staff violated numerous federal laws and state rules that help ensure students with disabilities get vital … Continue reading →

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Schools are going to reopen, like it or not

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gonna be crazy. Texas public school districts must reopen campuses for in-person instruction in August to continue receiving state funding, unless the governor issues a school closure order or a confirmed case of COVID-19 on an individual campus forces … Continue reading →

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HISD will not change its calendar

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not for this year, anyway. Houston ISD’s calendar for 2020-21 will remain largely unchanged, district officials said Thursday, bringing an end to nearly two weeks of debate over whether to extend the school year as a way to increase flexibility … Continue reading →

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Back to school, kids

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I don’t know about this. Texas students will be returning to public schools in person this fall, Gov. Greg Abbott told state lawmakers Thursday morning. The state’s top education officials confirmed the plans in a statement to The Texas … Continue reading →

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