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Houston ISD will be allowed to extend the school year and begin it earlier after the district’s state-appointed board of managers unanimously approved a “District of Innovation” plan Thursday, marking the end of a process that began in September.
The plan, which exempts the district from seven state laws, is part of a Texas initiative designed to give districts more flexibility. In addition to changes to the academic calendar, the plan also opts the district out of requirements to use the state’s teacher evaluation tool, seek state waivers before hiring uncertified high school teachers and more. (A full description of all the changes can be found here.)
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles, who was appointed along with the board in June as part of state sanctions against HISD, has argued the plan is necessary to drive gains in student achievement, and that the current 172-day academic calendar is too short. HISD’s calendar will be no longer than 180 days next year and no longer than 185 days after that under the plan.
HISD has said it plans to present the proposed 2024-25 academic calendar based on the new exemptions from state law to the school board on Feb. 8. The first day of next year will be between Aug. 7 and 14, HISD has said.
But community members voiced concerns that hiring uncertified instructors could lower academic standards and extending the school year could spur an exodus of teachers.
The eight board members present for Thursday’s vote did not discuss the plan. Miles was not present at the meeting but released a written statement after the board passed the plan.
“We are making the bold changes required to improve instruction and help students develop the competencies they will need to succeed in the future,” he said. “Having the (District of Innovation) designation is long overdue and will allow us to accelerate our work in important ways.”
The vast majority of Texas districts have already received the District of Innovation designation, but the step has been controversial in HISD. A district committee shot down a similar proposal in 2021 when HISD’s elected school board governed the district, halting the approval process.
Navarro Middle School teacher and Pugh Elementary School parent Melissa Yarborough told the board Thursday she was worried about the quality of instruction under the District of Innovation changes.
“Hiring uncertified teachers to replace the certified teachers that you are running off currently is going to end in very bad results for the district,” said Yarborough. “I’ve passed rigorous training to be vetted to be allowed to be teaching a classroom. I want my children to have teachers who went through the same process.”
The innovation plan enjoyed a smooth path to passage this year largely thanks to the influence of Miles. In recent months, Miles added supporters of his administration to the district committee legally required to sign off on the plan, diluting the power of teachers union-aligned members who opposed the District of Innovation initiative.
The latest proposal passed through the committee 41-11 in mid-November.
HISD parent Celeste Barretto Milligan, one of the committee members appointed this fall by the board, urged the board Thursday to approve the plan.
“It’s good policy for kids and, because it’s good policy for kids, it’ll get us closer to meeting the exit criteria and regaining local control,” Barretto Milligan said.
The final draft of the plan included key revisions in response to community feedback. After pushback from families, the final plan abandoned measures that would have raised elementary school class size limits and nixed a requirement that families be notified when their child’s teacher does not have a certification. The original proposal included 10 exemptions to state law, compared to the final draft’s seven.
Another key provision of the final plan allows HISD to decide the punishment for students caught in possession of vapes on a case-by-case basis, rather than automatically sending them to a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, as required under a new state law.
Exactly how some of the components of the innovation plan will function in practice remains an open question.
The plan includes “implementation guidelines” that are not legally binding, but Miles has promised to follow. For example, the guidelines limit the hiring of uncertified teachers without state certification waivers to high school positions.
Community members have expressed concern that there is no legal avenue to hold HISD to the implementation guidelines.
“We fully anticipate that (the implementation guidelines) are going to be complied with,” Board President Audrey Momanaee said.
Asher Lehrer-Small covers education for the Landing and would love to hear your tips, questions and story ideas about Houston ISD. Reach him at asher@houstonlanding.org.
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