HOUSTON – The board of managers voted unanimously Thursday night to approve a ‘District of Innovation’ designation for the Houston Independent School District.
Superintendent Mike Miles was absent during the meeting but released a statement afterward thanking the board.
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The five-year DOI strategic plan will bring several new policies aimed at improving student performance, including more flexibility in determining class size, a new teacher appraisal system, and increasing instructional days from 172 to 185 per school year.
But this part has some Houston ISD teachers and parents concerned -- “Hiring of uncertified teachers, without the requirement of notifying parents or guardians if their student is assigned an unlicensed instructor.”
That means the DOI designation allows the district to hire teachers who do not hold a certification. Administrators say that will help them recruit for hard-to-fill positions and give all students “a consistent classroom teacher.” Critics worry that will impact the quality of education students get.
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Before Thursday’s meeting, Houston ISD was one of the only school systems in Texas without DOI status.
The plan to become a ‘District of Innovation’ was approved by a 61-member District Advisory Committee before it went before the board of managers. That committee is made up of parents, teachers and community members -- some of whom were hand-selected by Superintendent Miles, who stepped into his role earlier this year.