IN THE NEWS:

Central Division Chief Luz Martinez, known for terminating beloved principals and teachers, has been replaced. She dismissed teachers for questioning three-minute restroom breaks for students and fired principals who supported students and staff. Additionally, she and Miles ordered the removal of reading nooks, insisting they be thrown away.

The House Public Education Committee, responsible for K-12 policy, will be led by Chair Brad Buckley (R-Salado) and Vice-Chair Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio). The committee has shifted to be more pro-voucher than last session. Click here to learn about the committee members and their contact information.

Need a story to share with friends unaware of the state takeover? This one says it all. 

“They expect kids to be like robots,” a teacher says of NES schools under Miles. Rigid scripts, endless worksheets, and no teacher input—critics say it kills the joy of learning. Below are excerpts from the  Houstonia article, Two Years into Mikes Miles’s HISD Tenure, Parents Are Still Mad. 

“Mary Davis, a veteran English teacher at one NES high school (whose name was changed for this story due to fears for her job security), describes days filled with meticulously timed slides, packets for every lesson, and barely a moment to let students voice a question or linger over a new concept.

“No test can tell me how anyone is going to do in life,” Fred Woods, HISD parent, says. “There’s no correlation between any test—STAAR, SAT, PSAT—and how successful you will be in life. 

“His concern deepens when he thinks about the socialization skills young children need. The structure of NES limits time for creativity, collaboration, and even simple peer interaction, which is especially detrimental as younger kids don’t have the maturity to sit still for hours and absorb a flood of new information before immediately being tested on it…

Teachers can’t actually teach.

The NES model doesn’t just impact students—it’s reshaping what it means to be a teacher in HISD. For Davis, the changes have stripped away her autonomy and ability to meet students where they are. “At the beginning of the year, we’re told to adhere to the slide decks exactly. You can’t take anything out. You have to get through it in minutes,” she says…

Teachers are also giving lessons from poorly designed materials riddled with errors. Davis says she often has to correct AI-written content on the fly, adding another layer to the mental gymnastics now necessary in her role…

“Davis says her classroom door must remain open at all times (allowing administrators to walk in at any moment to monitor instruction). Bathroom breaks are restricted to tightly controlled windows, and even minor deviations from the scripted curriculum can result in write-ups or reprimands. She is also prohibited from assigning reading materials that have historically encouraged students to explore diverse perspectives. She recalls an experience teaching an edited version of Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue to her ESL students. 

While the changes simplified the language for beginner students, Davis says the edits stripped the passage of its nuance, removing the very elements that made it relatable to them.

“They basically read a really simple story about a kid who was ashamed of their culture and their parent because they spoke broken English,” Davis says. “Mind you, this is all [for] kids who don’t speak English.“

Read the entire article here.