No matter the funding model HISD uses, it is important to end years of under-resourcing schools in poor neighborhoods and end waste at the school and central office and in unnecessary contracted services. The priority must be at the school level- reducing class size (more teachers) and increasing support services (librarians, nurses, social workers, etc.) for students in need so they can thrive.
Yesterday, HISD Administration changed the budget proposal back to the decentralized PUA (per unit allocation) "market approach" model and is stepping back from the hybrid more centralized model it originally proposed. Read more here at https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/In-reversal-House-says-Houston-ISD-principals-17061708.php
No matter the funding model, we must move from attendance-based to enrollment-based funding. That is a larger part of the inequity in the way funds go to schools. The PUA model (the one we use) privileges schools with high attendance rates (families with access to cars and other resources) and penalizes schools serving families with fewer resources.
It is a vicious circle - a school gets less funding because of low attendance rates and then is penalized (threat of closure, principal and staff turnover, narrowed curriculum) for students who can not make it to school. Let's not bake in a poverty penalty.
And let’s remember to also direct our fury at the Governor for pushing STAAR-based accountability even now during COVID and for continuing to underfund our schools, leaving districts to fight over scraps.
Please watch today's board workshop today at 2 pm at HoustonISD.org/livetv or the recording here. There are too few voices dominating the budget discussion. Not included are the vast majority of parents and stakeholders who either are not clear on what is going on, do not have the time or skills to understand the system and the process, or do not speak the language.
The superintendent's message sent yesterday is below.
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