Stay In the Know: Only 25¢Follow what's happening in your community with digital access. Sale Ends March 22 |
Hello Houston,
It's been a fairly quiet week since HISD is closed for spring break. Hope you've been enjoying your time off and, perhaps, a Creed concert or $22 turkey leg at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Speaking of the rodeo, I have to recommend Sarah Smith's moving feature about the Hollis family, who lost their daughter, Virginia, in the Camp Mystic floods last July. They all visited the Houston rodeo last year. Last week, they watched their youngest compete in mutton bustin' as a family of three.
We'll be back in full force next Friday.
Must-reads:
- Former education chief talks 'painful' HISD improvements, Texas school funding
- Here's how many people attended HISD hiring events since last June
 | Claire Partain, HISD reporter |
Photo by: Staff photographer
HISD went against an examiner's guidance and fired a 22-year veteran teacher. Now he's suing.
When teachers face termination or contract nonrenewal in HISD, they often choose to resign instead of fighting the case. Those who do challenge the district find the chances of getting their job back are slim — even when an independent hearing examiner rules in their favor.
A recent story by my colleague Nusaiba Mizan shows that the state-appointed Board of Managers has developed a pattern of rejecting those favorable recommendations.
Veteran HISD special education teacher Brian Tucker was proposed for contract nonrenewal in April 2025, effectively ending his 22-year career. An independent hearing officer later recommended reinstating him. But HISD's board voted to reject that recommendation. Now Tucker is suing the district and the Texas education commissioner over the decision.
The board's recent votes worry attorneys and teachers who say the process is meant to help correct mistakes — not routinely override independent findings.
"The system is designed to allow a school board to overturn a hearing examiner when they get it wrong," said attorney Chris Tritico. "It's not designed for what's happening here in HISD."
Reporter's Notebook
We've spent a lot of time asking families how their school's closure will affect them.
Now we're trying to talk with families at the 13 schools that will receive hundreds of new students next year.
I went to six of those schools to ask their thoughts. To my surprise, they didn't have a lot — mostly because they didn't know their campus will welcome students from the closures.
At quiet mornings and more frenzied afternoon pickups, parents told me they worried how transportation, class sizes and academic programs will be affected.
On academics, some receiving schools will join the New Education System next year. Others will lose magnet programs; some will add dual language.
HISD has announced some changes to ease the transition, including shuttles and tours. It hasn't publicly answered other concerns yet, like about dangerous rail crossings or improving facilities.
HISD said they will have more updates this spring.
What Else Happened This Week
|
|
|
|
|
The Calendar Ahead
• March 2-15: Student art showcased at the Houston Rodeo
• March 4-April 17: Applications open for HISD's Virtual Launchpad
• March 16: Deadline for "AI Envisioned" student art contest
• March 17: Pre-K virtual sessions for parents, all day
• March 19: Board of Managers meeting, 5 p.m.
• March 21: Kickoff teacher hiring event, 8 a.m.
Meet The Team
Photo by: Staff Graphic
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Megan Menchaca, Nusaiba Mizan, Claire Partain and Taylor Nichols. Laura Isensee is our education 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.
Recommended Reading
|
|
Unsubscribe | Manage Preferences
Houston Chronicle
4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027
© 2026 Hearst Newspapers, LLC
No comments:
Post a Comment