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Public education is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy and it is under attack from all sides.

Will you speak at the board meeting on Thursday at 5 pm against the harmful impact of the state takeover and against Miles’ latest proposals? You must register by Wednesday at noon.

You must register by Wednesday at noon. Click here for instructions to register as a speaker. You can also get help signing up at a short how- to-sign-up meeting on Tue from 8-8:30 pm. RSVP here. 

For more information on the state takeover, listen to the "Have you Heard" podcast. Teachers and parents Melissa Yarbrough, Jessica Campos, Daniel Santos and Ruth Kravetz, “talk about the state takeover of Houston ISDis fundamentally about politics.” 

Then watch “Inside the Secret Right Wing Plan to Take Down the Education System as We Know It" session with Diane Ravitch, Brendan Fisher, Nick Surgey, and Jamie Corey of the Documented team. This takeover is part of a coordinated effort to dismantle public education, with the governor pushing vouchers with one hand and preemption and school district takeovers with the other.

Tell your story so that the media hears the truth. You will have 1 minute (150 words) to speak. Email [email protected] after you register to speak if you are interested in sharing testimony on behalf of a teacher worried about retribution Sign up for “minutes from previous meetings (agenda #16)”  or hearing of citizens if you do not see an agenda item that works for you. There are numerous agenda items. Read the full agenda packet here. Click here to register to speak now. 

Speak out about how wrong it is for Miles to terminate hardworking teachers all over the district for literally nothing. Speak out against the culture of fear that children and teachers are enduring. Speak out about how the superintendent tried to get students to be his informants as if he were head of the Stasi East German Secret Police. Speak out about the bad curriculum, its boring and mind-numbing pacing, and daily “benchmark” testing that disregards the real needs of children. Speak out because Miles is harming students in under-resourced communities the most.

Speak out for a well-resourced meaningful academic and arts curriculum. Speak out to demand that teachers are respected with their craft and input valued. Speak out for real equity and access.  Our children need you!

Speak out against the district of innovation plan that should more properly be called a district of  child-harming exemptions. The vote is in a week. The exemptions include

• Permanent Teacher Certification Exemption: HISD seeks “flexibility” to hire teachers who do not hold a certification and waive the requirement to present a certification at the time of hire for filing. 
• Parental Notification Exemption: HISD seeks to lift the requirement to submit written notice to parents and guardians of students assigned to inappropriately or uncertified teachers. 
• Larger Class Sizes Exemption: Houston ISD is seeking autonomy for flexibility in determining class size. 
• Longer School Year Exemption: Houston ISD seeks an exemption to begin instruction for students before the fourth Monday in August. The District intends to extend the school year by a minimum of 8 instructional days but probably 13 more days
• Minimum Attendance Exemption: Houston ISD seeks an exemption for the flexibility in determining minimum attendance requirement for class credit for eligible high school students.
• Teacher Appraisal Exemption: HISD seeks the ability to set the process for developing a local teacher appraisal system by the end of the year, for implementation in SY24-25. 

Anonymously submit feedback on this google form.  A teacher on the DAC will share all responses with his fellow DAC members.