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| CASE Report
Smart Brevity ®
count: 2.5 mins...716 words
CASE is a collective of Houstonians committed to ensuring that every student within Houston Independent School District (HISD) has the opportunity to receive a high-quality education.
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Efficiency Report outlines broken systems; plan for improvement
 HISD released an Efficiency Report
on Tuesday that outlined “long-standing operational problems and inefficiencies” within the district. The report detailed 8 areas of concern:
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Unaligned & ineffective budget processes: The absence of an effective budgeting process led to a failure to prioritize limited funds and undisciplined, ill-advised investments.
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Overreliance on purchased services: Besides increasing costs, the overuse of consulting groups and others that provide purchased services diminishes effectiveness and creates secondary costs.
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Inability to track & manage employee work arrangements: Human resources and finance processes to track employees were neglected and unaccountable. In June 2023, for example, the Finance Department discovered 990 people on the employment roll who no longer worked for the District, and some were still receiving paychecks.
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Low expectations & oversight of employee attendance: Excessive employee absences and poor accountability led to limitations in student achievement.
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Ineffective processes for recruitment & hiring staff: Two key factors were present: 1) there was an absence of an effective plan and a concerted effort to fill vacancies with certified and effective teachers before the start of school, and 2) cumbersome recruitment processes that were onerous to candidates and frustrating to principals.
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Dysfunctional Transportation System: Low ridership, unreliability, and inefficient routes led to unnecessary expenses and challenges for students.
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Highly decentralized system of autonomous schools without commensurate accountability: Schools operated so differently with their own curriculum, programs, staffing, and internal schedules, that the District could not take advantage of economies of scale and could only provide limited support at greater cost.
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No unifying vision of high-quality instruction or high-quality programming: Some curricula were not high quality and were unaligned to research-based best practices.
Why it matters:
By identifying inefficiencies, the District can begin the process of correcting them, thereby freeing up resources for students and teachers. The report included measures that the district is taking to address these systemic challenges.
What they’re saying:
“HISD had issues. It did…HISD was a system that needed some change.” - Michelle Williams, President of Houston Education Association, a local teacher’s union.
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Miles: No plans for school closures
 HISD is on track to avoid school closures due to a renewed focus on fiscal responsibility and operational efficiency. The Houston Chronicle Editorial Board spoke to Superintendent Miles about his plans, and according to them, “It doesn’t just makes [sic] dollars and cents, it makes sense.” Check out their full write-up here.
Why it matters:
As enrollment declines for all school districts, HISD will be better equipped to weather the resulting budgetary challenges by correcting broken systems that caused wasteful spending and operational problems.
By the numbers:
The prior administration projected that without intervention, HISD would fall below its required reserve by 2026 with a deficit of $280 million. Instead, Superintendent Miles said, “We’re going to have about $870 million fund balance this year, the following year 850 and then we’re going to stay at 850.”
What they’re saying:
“…it’s a relentless approach to trimming budgets that will free up the funds for the higher teacher pay at his New Education System [NES] schools, exactly where we think the money should be going.” - Houston Chronicle Editorial Board.
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ICYMI: HISD hosts PTO expo
HISD recently hosted its annual Parent Organization Expo, which connected parents directly with campus leaders in an effort to build relationships and spur collaboration. Parents from across the district attended the program, which featured school tours, seminars on engagement, and advocacy workshops. Check out the official recap here.
Why it matters:
Meaningful partnerships between parents and school leadership are critical for student success. Increased parental engagement is indicative of improved student outcomes.
What they’re saying:
“The Expo is very helpful for a lot of our HISD schools that have PTO programs. It guides groups through fundraising ideas and how to bring in families to events.” - Oneida Cruz, a Berry Elementary parent.
Last Note:
HISD’s parent call center is available for parents and families year-round. For more information on resources, visit this link.
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