HISD parents blast ‘disruptive’ principal evaluations threatening jobs from The Houston Chronicle on March 14, 2024

This story was originally posted in the Houston Chronicle by Kennedy Sessions

Some Houston ISD parents are expressing frustration and concern about the future of their schools after Superintendent Mike Miles notified hundreds of principals that they must improve or risk losing their jobs.

Tim Sinyak, a parent with two children at Love Elementary in the Heights area, said he isn’t sure if they will stay in HISD depending on how the rest of the year goes. Love Elementary is currently rated D-plus and has seen a revolving door of 5 principals in the last 5 years.

The school recently held community meetings to decide whether to join Miles’ “New Education System” reform plan of overhauled curricula and increased testing. After parents voiced concerns, former principal Sean Tellez declined to join NES. Weeks later, he resigned – the same day the Houston Chronicle reported that 117 principals had been notified they were performing below “proficient” levels and could lose their jobs if they didn’t improve.

For Sinyak, this showed a disconnect between the district’s messaging and actions. “It’s disruptive and completely against the fact that the district claims everything is in the best interest of the children,” he said. “What Principal Tellez was bringing…was stability that we have been craving.”

The performance notices from Miles went to newly-assigned principals and veterans. His email said they were making “good progress” but needed to focus on “high quality instruction.” The list of principals named sparked controversy, with some popular leaders of top schools included.

Parent Tracy Lisewsky said, “The whole community is frustrated…you don’t really know what to be frustrated with anymore. I worry about principal and teacher retention.” A recent survey showed over 40% of HISD teachers said they would not return next year, though the district disputes this.

Miles stands by the evaluations, saying “I will not compromise on that. I expect every educator to continuously improve instruction with no exceptions. If we compromise…we will fail students, and that is not an option.”

Principal ratings from “Unsatisfactory” to “Exemplary” will determine compensation, with the highest-rated principals eligible for nearly $200,000 and lower-rated close to $130,000.

Miles added: “This is what raising expectations looks like. It asks a lot of people…makes some educators uncomfortable. That is expected and necessary. Some will not perform at the level our students need, and decide to work elsewhere. But 97% of our teachers have said they want to keep working in the district next year.”

As uncertainty looms, parents hope for stability amidst the district’s reform pushes.