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| CASE Report
Smart Brevity ®
count: 3 mins...790 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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Pay Raises Announced for Special Education Teachers
 HISD announced this week that significant raises are on the way for its special education teachers. This move will position HISD’s special education teachers among the highest-paid teachers in the region. Check out Click2Houston’s full story here.
Why it matters:
There is a nationwide shortage of special education teachers
, leaving thousands of districts struggling to find qualified instructors for their special needs populations. By offering significantly higher salaries for these positions than other districts, HISD gives itself an edge in recruitment and retention of special education teachers.
By the numbers:$80,000 will be the district-wide minimum salary for special education teachers. At NES schools, the starting salary will be $86,000. Previously, special education teachers were on the standard teacher pay scale ( $65,000 average
), and only received a $1,000 stipend.
What they’re saying:
“HISD is steadfastly committed to ensuring our students with special needs are identified, supported, and positioned to achieve at high levels. That is our responsibility. Meeting that responsibility starts with attracting and retaining highly qualified educators—and paying them like the valued professionals they are.” - Billy Solomon, HISD Executive Director of Talent Acquisition.
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Sunrise Centers Provide Wraparound Services
 This week, HISD hosted a series of open houses at its seven “ Sunrise Centers
” across the district.
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These Sunrise Centers are located in high-need areas and aim to holistically serve the needs of its students by providing free support such as case management, food, school uniforms, hygiene kits, and other services. Houston Chronicle’s full story is here.
Why it matters:
The open houses help introduce the new centers to the community and showcase the ways that HISD is supporting its at-risk populations. By making sure the community is aware of the services that they can access, more students can experience the Sunrise Centers’ positive impact.
More information:
Here are the locations for the seven Sunrise Centers:
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Brock Re-Engagement Center, 1417 Houston Ave.
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BakerRipley Gulfton Sharpstown Campus, 6500 Rookin St.
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Cornerstone Community Campus, 2575 Reed Road
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Mission Milby, 2220 Broadway St.
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Morefield Boys & Girls Club, 5950 Selinsky Road
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West Orem YMCA, 5801 W. Orem Drive
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Youth Development Center, 6050 Bretshire Drive
The final open house will take place on April 11 at the West Orem location from 4-6pm.
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HISD to Strengthen Career and Technical Education
 HISD is revamping its CTE offerings in order to establish uniformity across the district and to better align with emerging industry demands. Going forward, four “foundational programs of study” will be offered at all HISD campuses with zoned students: entrepreneurship, networking systems, distribution and logistics, and health informatics. The Houston Chronicle’s write-up is here.
Why it matters:
Uniformity across campuses is needed so that students that move from one campus to another can still complete the CTE programs that they have begun elsewhere. The new offerings also better align with industry needs, meaning the certifications earned will more likely lead to gainful employment.
Go deeper:
Schools with no zoned students, such as HSPVA and Carnegie Vanguard, will not be required to add the courses but will have the option to do so. HISD will also begin sunsetting programs “that are not leading to outcomes”.
What they’re saying:
“How can we really modernize our work and our guidance and our instruction around our Career and Technical Education courses so that we can prepare students for jobs of the future? That's a really big focus on what we're doing, and how we're doing it is really envisioning what we are preparing students to be able to do when they graduate.” - Kristen Hole, HISD’s Chief Academic Officer.
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Parting Shot: Most teachers focused on improving student outcomes
NPR recently reported
that "more than 100 teachers from at least 35 campuses" called in sick to protest the HISD administration.
By the numbers:
There are over 11,000 teachers working in HISD every day to deliver high-quality instruction to students. On any given day, a small fraction of teachers are unable to report to work for various reasons.
In fact, HISD announced in December that teacher absenteeism across the district was down by over 40 percent compared to the previous year.
Parting shot:
We should remain focused on improving student outcomes and not be distracted by a small number of individuals that continue to put the needs of adults ahead of students.
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