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Hello Houston,
Hope everyone had a great winter break!
This week, five trustees were sworn for a new term at HISD's headquarters. Besides incumbents Bridget Wade and Myrna Guidry, newcomers Maria Benzon, Michael McDonough and Felicity Pereyra joined the elected board. While the elected trustees don't hold any power during the state takeover, they eventually will regain oversight when the Texas Education Agency transitions the district back to local control.
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Must-reads:
- HISD's strict new cell phone ban rules include alternative school, confiscation for repeat violators
- See the first Texas private schools that have been approved for the state's $1B voucher program
 | Claire Partain, HISD reporter |
Photo by: Staff photographer
Outside partners, teacher pay and more changes at HISD this year
Last year was a whirlwind of test score gains, enrollment declines, the sudden removal of four board members — and more.
So, what changes can you expect at HISD this year?
One thing that won't happen is school closures, according to the district. It abruptly reversed plans to close schools in 2026-27, though some "consolidations" may be considered.
Another big change is outside partners for four top-performing schools, where a nonprofit, university or charter could run the school in exchange for more autonomy.
Next school year, teachers will have a new pay-for-performance model, which ties their pay to their evaluation ratings rather than tenure. We'll also be watching new STAAR scores and A-F ratings for clues into the future of HISD's state takeover.
And when applications open for the state's new school voucher program, our team will track how it affects enrollment in HISD and elsewhere.
Reporter's Notebook
This week, I've seen a lot of HISD families at community sessions as the board of managers prepares to vote on changes to magnet and career courses.
In December, I wrote about an overhaul of several popular magnet and career programs at three campuses. The board delayed the vote to allow more community input. Since then, we've learned the changes go even further and would affect programs at 10 campuses. Some, like graphic design, will be phased out. Others will move to the district's career hub. HISD is also adding several new programs geared toward "high-demand, high-wage jobs" at the Barbara Jordan Career Center.
Parents raised questions about transportation, transparency and what this means for the future of other magnet programs.
While several parents supported new career programs, they also said they didn't want to lose ones that work. Several said they felt left out of the decision-making process.
In response to concerns, HISD said it has made some adjustments to expand, not cut, programs.
We'll have more before the board meets Thursday.
What Else Happened This Week
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The Calendar Ahead
• Jan. 13: District Advisory Committee meets at 5:15 p.m.
• Jan. 13-15: NWEA MAP Growth exams in math, reading and science
• Jan. 15: HISD Board of Managers meeting, 5 p.m.
• Jan. 16: MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, 10 a.m.
Meet The Team
Photo by: Susan Barber
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Megan Menchaca, Nusaiba Mizan and Claire Partain. Laura Isensee is our education editor, and Jennifer Radcliffe is local news editor.
You can reach out to any of them by emailing them at their firstname.lastname@houstonchronicle.com, filling out this survey or by replying directly to this email.
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