Tag Archives: HISD Board of Trustees

Are we really gonna take this show on the road?

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Color me skeptical. The seismic changes seen by Monsiváis’ son and the 180,000-plus students throughout HISD this school year are the result of the most dramatic state takeover of a school district in American history, a grand experiment that could … Continue reading →

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Board of Managers passes Mike Miles’ budget

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It was a close vote, but as we kids used to say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. In their most divided vote taken to date, members of Houston ISD’s state-appointed school board on Thursday narrowly approved a … Continue reading →

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HISD reports improvements on high school end of course exams

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. More Houston ISD students met or exceeded grade level on the English I, English II, Algebra I and biology end-of-course exams that are required for high school graduation, according to figures released by the district. HISD saw a 3 … Continue reading →

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One year of the HISD takeover

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a year since HISD was officially taken over. Where do we stand on the things that matter, the schools’ and students’ performances? Early data is mostly positive, with a lot of caveats. According to early data, HISD appears … Continue reading →

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A holiday weekend HISD roundup

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This will be a basic linkdump. I’ll start here. The Houston ISD Board of Managers appears to have moved forward late Thursday with the termination of Herod Elementary School Principal Jessica Berry, who declined to resign in the district’s recent … Continue reading →

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Is anyone still defending Mike Miles?

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Anna Eastman is out. As a former Houston ISD parent and school board member, I initially encouraged Houstonians to be open to the state takeover and its potential benefits for our kids. I know firsthand that many things in HISD … Continue reading →

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First look at the HISD budget

Posted on May 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’re up to $500 million in cuts. But we still don’t have any details. The multibillion-dollar question of how Houston ISD intends to balance its budget went largely unanswered Thursday night, with district administrators revealing few specifics about job or … Continue reading →

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HISD Board approve District of Innovation plan

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No suspense there. 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 … Continue reading →

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HISD’s continued enrollment decline

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not great. Houston ISD saw its steepest enrollment decline this year since the first full school year of the pandemic, losing roughly 6,000 students, according to preliminary data obtained by the Houston Landing. Some 183,884 students now attend HISD … Continue reading →

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Whitmire and SJL on the HISD mess

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Mayor has basically no direct influence on HISD, but it’s an issue people care about and the Mayor can certainly make it a point of focus. So what do our two Mayoral runoff candidates have to … Continue reading →

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Two more HISD stories

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Houston ISD’s elected board currently has no power. People ran for the trustee posts anyway. Two incumbents, Dani Hernandez and Patricia Allen, maintained their seats Tuesday, both winning reelection easily against a sole challenger. Meanwhile, two incoming trustees, Savant Moore … Continue reading →

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2023 election results: Houston and Harris County

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to be brief, and will have a longer look at things tomorrow. A bit more than 20% of the E-Day votes had been tallied as of 10 PM, but for the most part I’d say we had a … Continue reading →

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DeBakey students finally get an AP Physics teacher

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never and all that, but sheesh. AP Physics students at the DeBakey High School for Health Professions had a new teacher Wednesday after Houston ISD lifted a hiring freeze that had kept the position vacant since the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Hernandez and Allen in HISD

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron does remember that there are HISD races on the ballot. It’s the board of managers that has the voting power on district decisions, a task some critics say it has fulfilled by largely rubber-stamping Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans. … Continue reading →

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Seriously, what the hell is going on at HISD?

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Well, three things that aren’t just straight-up WTF? Juniors and seniors at Houston ISD’s DeBakey High School for Health Professions walked into their AP Physics classes at the beginning of the school … Continue reading →

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Do unto public schools as you would not do to charter schools

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Infuriating, but hardly surprising. In June, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath embarked on the largest school takeover in recent history, firing the governing board and the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District after one of its more than … Continue reading →

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The Book-Loving Texans’ Guide To The November 2023 Election

Posted on October 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Make note of this. Please check out and share the newest edition of the Book-Loving Texan’s Guides to Texas School Board Elections. You can use it to inform voters and to decide where to allocate your time and donations for … Continue reading →

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Interview with Plácido Gómez

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up our week of HISD election interviews with Plácido Gómez, who is running to succeed Judith Crus in HISD District VIII. A native of New Mexico and a graduate of Rice University, Gómez was a student volunteer at … Continue reading →

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Interview with Judith Cruz

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing our series of HISD Trustee interviews, today we have Judith Cruz, the elected Trustee in District VIII. Like Dani Hernandez, Cruz’ victory in 2019 knocked out an incumbent in the illegal meeting to discuss ousting interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan; … Continue reading →

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Interview with Dani Hernandez

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Today’s interview is with Dani Hernandez, the elected HISD Trustee in District III. Her win in 2019 ousted one of the trustees that had been involved in the illegal meeting to discuss ousting interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. Hernandez is a … Continue reading →

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A couple of thoughts as the HISD school year starts

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board has them, and so do I. So, in the spirit of the first day, we are setting out three of our own classroom expectations and concerns. We’ll skip the niceties too. Miles needs to control the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kathy Blueford-Daniels

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It is time once again for interview season. The City of Houston races are the marquee attraction for 2023 but we still have HISD Trustee elections and they matter even as their power has been temporarily removed. We begin today … Continue reading →

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The HISD elections

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

They will be on your ballot as well. Seven people have filed to run for four open Houston ISD trustee positions, roles that currently do not have any oversight of the district following the Texas Education Agency’s takeover. The TEA … Continue reading →

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About those HISD central office cuts

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

More illusion than reality so far, it seems. A cornerstone of Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans for overhauling the district — rapidly eliminating nearly 700 jobs in its “bloated” central office — appears to be exaggerated by the district’s … Continue reading →

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So what exactly is the role of the Board of Managers?

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting hard to tell. Two months into the job, HISD’s new state-appointed school board has largely avoided the limelight since replacing the district’s elected trustees, making few extended comments in public and betraying no animosity within the group. The … Continue reading →

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Special ed is part of the HISD takeover, too

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that fixing special education was also part of the TEA takeover mandate for HISD. How’s that going so far? Well, the parents of the special ed kids say they’re not seeing much of anything as yet. For … Continue reading →

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July 2023 campaign finance reports: HISD

Posted on August 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Congress SD15 City of Houston, part 1 Harris County City of Houston, part 2 City of Houston, part 3 City of Houston, part 4 City of Houston, part 5 January finance reports for HISD trustees are here. There is … Continue reading →

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More criticism of HISD’s library policies

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t going away. Prominent Houston political and faith leaders on Monday denounced Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plan to convert some libraries into discipline centers, adding to the growing chorus of critics opposing the change. Members of Congress, Houston … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner criticizes HISD’s library removals

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday blasted Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plan to close dozens of school libraries and turn them into discipline rooms, alleging it was targeted at “selected communities.” In an impassioned speech at City Council, … Continue reading →

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What does Mike Miles have against libraries?

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I do not care for this. Superintendent Mike Miles, appointed in June by the Texas Education Agency to lead Houston ISD, will eliminate librarians and media specialists from the 28 campuses under his New Education System and an additional 57 aligned schools that opted … Continue reading →

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This is what I mean by building trust

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, HISD. Some Houston ISD teachers at schools in Superintendent Mike Miles’ New Education System were upset Monday morning to wake up to contract offers with lower salaries than what they expected and, in some cases, lower than what they earned before. … Continue reading →

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An HISD threefer

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

How much is discretion worth to a school principal? To Jessica Campos, Pugh Elementary School used to feel like a family. The 350-student school that her 10-year-old daughter attends had a tight-knit community with near-constant communication between staff and families, … Continue reading →

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Here are your volunteer “NES-aligned” schools

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

See if yours is on the list. 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 … 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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