Tag Archives: Dallas ISD

School safety funding is still a farce

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Blame Greg Abbott and his voucher monomania. Public school administrators were well aware that the Texas House’s vote to block a school voucher program last month would likely mean getting no new money for teacher raises and inflation adjustments this … Continue reading →

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You sure you wanna join the NES now?

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Consider your answer carefully. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles met with dozens of school principals Thursday to walk them through his plans for “wholesale systemic reforms” and offered those who signed up for his New Education System one last chance … Continue reading →

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Some schools want in on the Miles Plan

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not too surprising, all things considered. Over 50 Houston ISD schools voluntarily signed up for Superintendent Mike Miles’ sweeping New Education System, joining the 28 campuses required to be part of the reform program Miles launched his first day in … Continue reading →

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The Chron asks the “will what Mike Miles is doing actually work” question

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Join the club. Superintendent Mike Miles has swept into Houston in recent weeks with confident claims that his strategies to overhaul the largest school system in Texas can quickly spur positive results at long-struggling schools. That’s mostly because his agenda … 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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Mike Miles and the Board of Managers

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. Former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles − described as a military-minded leader who pushes reform − is the state’s choice for the new Houston ISD superintendent. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced his long-rumored decision Thursday morning, the … Continue reading →

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Meet Mike Miles

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Landing profiles the man who seems poised to be the imposed Superintendent of the taken-over HISD. A hard-charging education leader devoted to shaking up the status quo in struggling school districts appears poised to become the superintendent of Houston … Continue reading →

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Does the TEA already have a new Superintendent in mind?

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Turner thinks so, and wants the TEA to be more up front about its intentions. Pressure is mounting on the Texas Education Agency to name the superintendent who will soon oversee the Houston Independent School District as the nearing takeover prompts growing … Continue reading →

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HISD to get funding for electric school buses

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. Houston Independent School District is hopping on the city’s net-zero carbon emissions bus, so to speak, thanks to more than $6.2 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. The funds are part of the EPA’s Clean … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds school district mask mandates

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe not the most timely ruling ever, but still nice. An appellate court on Thursday sided with Texas school districts in their dispute with state officials over mask mandates, which numerous school systems have already lifted as pandemic conditions have eased. The … Continue reading →

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More school districts dropping mask mandates

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Unsurprising. Some of Texas’ biggest school districts are lifting mask mandates for students just weeks before spring break. Houston Independent School District, the state’s largest district, and Dallas ISD announced Monday that they would not require students to wear masks. … Continue reading →

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It’s mostly about the gay books

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Color me not surprised. While a Texas House committee chairman’s inquiry into schoolbooks has often been linked to new state laws limiting how teachers address slavery and racism, most of the literature he’s called into question deals with a wholly … Continue reading →

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COVID continues to run amuck at the schools

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is our reality. Students in Texas public schools are facing another year upturned by COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads, mask mandates are inconsistent and children under 12 cannot yet be vaccinated against the virus. Less than … Continue reading →

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More injunctions against the mask mandate bans

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. Concluding that Gov. Greg Abbott exceeded his authority by banning mask mandates in Texas, an Austin judge ruled Friday that school districts in Travis County can enforce face coverings as a COVID-19 precaution. State District Judge Catherine … Continue reading →

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Using the dress code to skirt the ban on mask mandates

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brilliant! The Paris school district found a loophole in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order preventing mask mandates across the state. Paris ISD’s board of trustees voted to alter the district’s dress code to include masks, according to its website. The school district, which is located … Continue reading →

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There actually is still a court order that allows for mask mandates in place

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember that other lawsuit filed against Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, by the Southern Center for Child Advocacy? I noted it in passing in this post, and then like you I forgot about it. And then on Sunday … Continue reading →

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Dallas ISD to require masks

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Starting Tuesday, Dallas ISD will require students and teachers to wear masks at its campuses, defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that bars districts from issuing mask mandates. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announced the change during a Monday morning … Continue reading →

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