HISD superintendent to address principal evaluations after putting 117 on notice to lose their jobs

In Houston, Texas, as thousands of students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) return to class after spring break, there is uncertainty surrounding the fate of some of the district’s principals.

HISD Superintendent Mike Miles has scheduled a press conference for Monday at 10 a.m. to provide an update on the principals’ performance scores.

Following a previous report indicating that over 100 HISD principals were at risk of losing their jobs if their schools’ performance scores didn’t improve, Superintendent Mike Miles sent notices to these principals. Last week, 117 principals were informed that they could be terminated if there was no improvement, which represents nearly half of the district’s principals.

According to information from the Houston Chronicle, the affected educators range from those with years of experience to newly hired individuals selected by Miles.

The decision to issue these notices came after Miles received the results of mid-year proficiency screenings, which assessed “quality of instruction” through independent classroom observations and “student achievement” based on mid-year Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and interim State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results.

Another assessment is scheduled in the coming weeks, and principals on the list must achieve higher scores to retain their positions. The lowest scoring 10% of principals will face automatic removal, according to Miles.

In response to these developments, HISD released a statement indicating that 120 principals have shown good progress and that continued hard work and focus on instructional leadership and student success will be crucial for them to meet performance expectations and return for the next school year.

These actions follow numerous departures of principals from the district since the state takeover of HISD, either through resignation or termination. Ruth Kravetz, leader of Community Voices for Public Education, expressed concerns about how the district will address these vacancies if more principals leave.

Kravetz raised questions about whether some principals might be facing retaliation for opting out of joining the district’s new school reform program, New Education System (NES). She criticized Miles for implementing what she called a “perverse principal evaluation system” that lacks clarity and understanding.