Sept. 13, 2024: No More Harm

Just 53 daysseparate us and Election Day. We already know the stakes; from the presidency all the way down to control of our school boards and our municipal offices, the fate of democracy is on the ballot. Look no further for an example than Houston ISD, where educators, parents, and students continue to speak out against the harm being done by their state-installed superintendent and the appointed board of managers.

And they do not stand alone. Last week, local union delegates of the 95 unions of the Gulf Coast AFL-CIOapproved a series of additionalendorsements in local, state, and federal elections. But they could not, in good conscience,recommend a vote for the $4.4 billionHouston ISDbond;local union delegates voted unanimously to oppose HISD Propositions A and B.

"Mike Miles is a failed leader who has lost the trust of parents, educators, and the broader Houston community.His allegiance lies with Governor Greg Abbott who appointed him, and his state-installed board of trustees are not accountable to Houston voters," said Hany Khalil, executive director of the Texas Gulf Coast AFL-CIO, in a statement after the vote. "It'sjust not prudent to leave taxpayers on the hook for a $4.4 billionbond that will be spent by a man with a long history of mismanaging public funds."

We couldn'tagree more, and we thank our union siblings for their solidarity with the HISD community and with the Houston Federation of Teachers.

In this week's Hotline:

• Speaking of democracy, did y'all see that presidential debate?
• Yet another poll shows that over three-quarters of Texas teachers are looking at the exits.
• We had a great timeat The Texas Tribune Festival last weekend. Here'swhat we heard.
• The State Board for Educator Certification meets next week with a beefy agenda.

Tuesday, Sept. 17

6-7 p.m. CT

Register online

Houston ISD records show more than 2,000 teachers do not have certification for 2024-25 year.Houston ISD has 2,097 uncertified teachers out of more than 10,000 teachersfor 2024-25, according to district records first provided to and reported by ABC13 KTRK. About 1 in 5 teachers, out of a district total 10,618 teachersas of Aug. 5, are "working toward certification," according to records requested by the TV station.(Houston Chronicle, Sept. 9)

Austin ISD settles lawsuit over delayed special ed evaluations, creates fund for affected students.A federal court signed off on a settlement Wednesday between Disability Rights Texas and Austin ISD over its backlog of special education evaluations. The settlement requires the district to establisha fund to help cover the cost of services for students who were affected by the delayed evaluations. (KUT, Sept. 5)

Texas school districts say upgrades to the state's student data reporting system could hurt their funding.Upgrades to the system Texas uses to collect student, staff and financial data from school districts are causing serious concerns among school administrators and data specialists across the state who say the changes have led to thousands of unresolved errors that could potentially cause them to lose out on state funding. (The Texas Tribune, Sept. 10)