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Fifty-seven Houston ISD schools will voluntarily take part in Superintendent Mike Miles’ vision for reshaping campuses ahead of schedule, district officials announced Tuesday.
The 57 campuses will comprise what Miles has coined the “NES-aligned” program, a pared-down version of the overhaul occurring at 28 “New Education System” campuses ahead of the upcoming school year. Miles plans to implement “wholesale systemic reform” at 150 campuses by 2025, but NES-aligned campuses will see changes sooner than originally planned.
The changes at the 57 schools, which will be implemented starting in August, will include new employee evaluation systems and a revamped staffing model that could result in cuts to non-teaching staff.
The schools will operate on an extended 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, a shift that offers flexibility to working parents, Miles said. The district also will choose and purchase curriculum for the 57 schools, as well as provide guidance for materials and lesson plans. In addition, the responsibility of managing the campus budget will be shifted from principals to the district’s central office staff.
Teachers at the 57 campuses will not be required to reapply for their jobs, and they will not receive significant pay raises. HISD is making those changes at the 28 campuses targeted for the biggest overhaul.
The NES-aligned program was spurred by principals requesting to join the original NES program, Miles said. However, fully overhauling more than 28 schools this year wasn’t possible.
“I am overwhelmingly proud that this many HISD school leaders are ready to take bold action to improve outcomes for all students and eradicate the persistent achievement and opportunity gaps in our district,” Miles said in a statement.
Miles laid out the potential changes for principals choosing to adopt the scaled-down model at an information session held Thursday. Principals had to decide by Monday whether to join.
Virtually all of the schools are located in mostly lower- and middle-income neighborhoods of Houston.
Here is a list of the 57 schools, broken down by grade level.
Elementary: Alcott, Ashford, Benavidez, Blackshear, Bonham, Bonner, Brookline, Burrus, Cage, Coop, DeZavala, Durkee, Franklin, Gallegos, Gregg, J.R. Harris, R.P. Harris, Hartsfield, Hobby, Kennedy, Lewis, Lockhart, Looscan, Northline, Oates, Osborne, Port Houston, Robinson, Rucker, Seguin, Smith, Thompson, Wainwright, Whidby, Whittier and Young.
Middle: Cullen, Edison, Fondren, Hartman, Holland, Lawson, Project Chrysalis, Revere and Williams.
High: Furr; Houston Math, Science and Technology Center; Madison; Scarborough; Sterling; Washington; Worthing; Wisdom and Yates.
Multi-grade: Las Americas Newcomer, Long Academy, Reagan K-8 Education Center
Miles has not yet detailed how the NES-aligned program will be paid for. He previously said he’s willing to tap the district’s reserves “for the next couple years.”
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