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It was a beautiful snowy day this morning outside my parents' home in suburban North Texas, where classes were canceled Friday for thousands of students in DFW. Must be nice.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes it had been just a little colder during Houston's rainstorm last night. But alas, Houston's streak of 1,422 days without any measurable snowfall remains unbroken today.
While it may have been a chilly few days, classes continued for HISD's students (albeit with a few heating issues earlier this week.) Even if Houston had seen its first snowfall in nearly three years, would the district even have canceled classes? Who knows.
Anyways, enough about the weather. Let's dive into this week's news from HISD.
This week's must reads:
- Houston ISD reported that about 19% of its teachers are "working toward certification. Here's a look at how many uncertified teachers are at each HISD campus.
- Superintendent Mike Miles was the 12th highest-paid superintendent in Texas during the 2023-2024 school year, according to Texas Education Agency records.
As we all flip our calendars to 2025, here's a quick recap of some of the important meeting dates, deadlines and developments to expect from HISD in the first few months of the year:
January
- HISD's survey on the two proposed calendar drafts for the 2025-2026 school year closes today. You can fill it out here.
- Most HISD elementary and middle schoolers will take their middle-of-year NWEA MAP exams in reading, math and science from Jan. 14 to Jan. 16.
- The district will begin to introduce metal detectors at high schools starting on Jan. 22 after a reported uptick in confiscated guns and weapons.
- The Board of Managers will hold its regular monthly meeting on Jan. 16 and a budget workshop on Jan. 28.
February
- HISD's district's K-12 school choice application — where families can apply to the district's magnet schools and specialized programs — will close Feb. 12.
- The Board of Managers is expected to approve the 2025-25 academic calendar during its regular meeting on Feb. 13 and hold a budget workshop Feb. 27
March
- The district plans to hold spring break from March 10 to 14. It will distribute K-12 school choice lottery results to families the following week.
- HISD's school board is expected to consider approval of a new custom teacher evaluation system, known as the Teacher Excellence System, on March 20.
Read more here about what else you can expect HISD in the rest of 2025, including upcoming holidays, test dates and proposed breaks.
Inside the Reporter's Notebook
The state's largest school district began rolling out "HISD NOW" — a new daily live broadcast show — on its YouTube channel Wednesday.
The show largely features interviews with HISD officials about "daily headlines," such as weather updates or the school choice application deadlines, in episodes lasting about five minutes.
Miles said future episodes will also potentially include updates on breaking news, including announcements about new cabinet positions, budget items or employee raises.
The district plans to air the show at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in English and Spanish every weekday. The official launch of the show will be on Feb. 5.
What Else Happened This Week
 Photo by: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer |
HISD employees will see a change in health care plans after the district switched to UnitedHealthcare. Read More |
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 Photo by: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer |
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles created a new position to report to him. Read More |
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 Photo by: Elizabeth Conley, Staff Photographer |
Houston area superintendents at area districts make hundreds of thousands, but they also receive comprehensive benefits. Here are some you may not know about. Read More |
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 Photo by: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer |
A major downfall of that system is that teachers could earn vastly different salaries from year to year, said union president Michelle Williams. Read More |
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 Photo by: Raquel Natalicchio, Staff Photographer |
Dozens of HISD's schools were built before 1950, and many have been transformed into community centers long after their legacy as a historic school. Read More |
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 Photo by: Karen Warren, Staff Photographer |
Houston ISD must meet seven criteria in its long-struggling special education department to end its state conservatorship and takeover with Mike Miles. Here's how. Read More |
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 Photo by: Karen Warren, Staff Photographer |
Houston ISD and other area districts kicked off the spring semester Tuesday morning despite subfreezing temperatures throughout the region. Read More |
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 Photo by: Sharon Steinmann |
Houston ISD campuses battled another day of near-freezing temperatures Wednesday as several schools saw lapses in heat, broken boilers and sewage issues. Read More |
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 Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer |
HISD schools see more principal changes as students head out for winter break. Read More |
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 Photo by: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer |
HISD's Lawson Middle School sees new principal following promotion. Read More |
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 Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer |
HISD's Board of Managers earned about half of all possible points on its annual evaluation after falling to meet certain goals for accountability and teamwork. Read More |
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 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer |
Approximately 80% of Houston ISD's students are economically disadvantaged. Here's how to volunteer or donate to help the district's students and their families Read More |
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The Calendar Ahead
• Jan. 11: HISD School Choice Fair at Westside High School from 9 a.m. to noon
• Jan. 14: District Advisory Committee Meeting at Hattie Mae White Center at 5:15 p.m.
• Jan. 16: HISD Board of Managers meeting at the Hattie Mae White Center at 5 p.m.
• Jan. 17: MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church at 10 a.m.
• Jan. 20: No HISD classes for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Jan. 22: HISD to launch pre-K school choice application for 2025-26 year
• Jan. 28: HISD Board of Managers budget workshop at the Hattie Mae White Center at 3 p.m.
Chronicle readers are invited to a private Zoom with Sean Teare, Harris County's District Attorney, as he enters his first month in office. Join us |
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Meet The Team
Photo by: Susan Barber
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Megan Menchaca, Nusaiba Mizan, Claire Partain and Anastasia Goodwin. Jennifer Radcliffe is the education team 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.
