Upcoming protests against HISD principal and teacher firings

The news that several popular and respected Houston ISD principals have been told their services are no longer sought has angered several HISD school communities, at least two of which are planning protests Monday morning at the start of the school day.

Usually, the end of a school year is a time of anxiety for some, but mostly a great sigh of relief for teachers, principals and students who are looking forward to summer vacation. And congratulations to everyone on making it through another year.

That was upended in recent days when pink slips handed out last week included teachers and principals previously rewarded with praise from the district itself. And as has been pointed out several times, the bad news coincides with National Teacher Appreciation Week.

So expect protests Monday morning around at least two schools — Crockett Elementary and Meyerland Middle School Performing and Visual Arts Magnet — as you head to school or work. And many more to come in the days to come. The last day of classes is June 5.

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Crockett Elementary School

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Crockett Elementary School’s Dr. Alexis Clark Vale will no longer be the principal of her arts magnet and parents aren’t happy either. The school located in the First Ward neighborhood offers free music practice sessions two days a week after school. The protest is scheduled for 7:15 a.m. at 2112 Crockett Street.

Protesters are also asking parents to keep their children home that day in Crockett to make a statement about the non-renewal of their principal’s contract.

At 7:30 a.m. Monday, a protest will begin at Meyerland Middle School, 10410 Manhattan Drive. Principal Auden Sarabia, who was named HISD’s 2023 Middle School Principal of the Year, said HISD asked him to resign.

If he doesn’t resign, he can appeal his case to the state-appointed board, which, while not in agreement with Superintendent Mike Miles, rarely deviates from his plans. Whether a teacher or principal gets a contract renewal this year appears to depend largely on their ability to uphold the major tenets of Miles’ new education system.

To be fair, any time a new superintendent attempts to introduce change in a district, particularly one targeting long-standing curriculum and personnel decisions, he or she finds himself or herself on a rocky ride. . Employment decisions are the most difficult since, by law, a person’s personnel file cannot be opened to the public. At the same time, it is this lack of transparency that means school communities do not really have confidence in the actions taken by the administration.

In the case of HISD, criticism is mounting on several fronts.

“Parent frustration over Superintendent Miles’ broken promises about his plans for HISD following the TEA buyout has been brewing in recent months. Each month, hundreds of parents and students have registered to speak at board meetings. board on how its unproven policies on NES are “destroying what works in the district and demoralizing our educators,” said Amanda Sorena, 2022-23 Meyerland PTO president, in a press release.

“Parents will be lined up on the sidewalks to tour the school in solidarity with teachers, students and administration who are being unfairly treated,” she wrote. Protesters believe HISD protocols were not followed when the educator was fired.

In fact, HISD members have a choice of protests to attend across the district in the coming days.

A protest is planned for Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at Houston City Hall in opposition to Miles, with a walk around the block after the speakers have been heard. Briargrove Elementary is leading the charge on this one.

And then there’s the ongoing protest by the Houston crochet group Stitching Together, which has produced distinctive, large-scale messages protesting Mile’s policy across the city.

Additionally, Neff Elementary School Principal Amanda Wingard, named HISD’s 2023 Elementary School Principal of the Year, was forced to resign.

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Meyerland Middle School Performing and Visual Arts Magnet

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In Sarabia’s case, Sorena stated three data points that led to her firing:

“1. STAAR score decreased (they decreased for all schools)

“2. AVERAGE MAP Data (Miles said this would not be a matrix held against principals AND that MPVA was without heat in several classrooms on test day)

“3. Spot-check the dashboard and fail to meet “Campus Goals.” (This one is even more confusing. The dashboard is not transparent. When rolled out in the fall, four MPVA administrators were instructed to conduct their six spot checks per week Three weeks into the school year, one of these administrators was moved by HISD to another campus. been updated.

Sorena wrote that no other administrator was assigned to take over the job of the one transferred to another school. All the spot checks she no longer performed received zeros. Sarabia informed officials, but nothing was ever done about it, according to his supporters.

It is unclear how HISD administration will respond to the protests and children not showing up to school. They weren’t too happy about the Madison High School walkouts earlier in the school year. Weather forecasts predict the possibility of heavy rain on Monday, which could put a damper on the planned proceedings. But that likely won’t be sustainable for groups who increasingly believe HISD has veered off course.