KILLEEN, Texas — Two teachers at Saegert Elementary School in the Killeen Independent School District were pleasantly surprised during what they expected to be an ordinary day of teaching. Charlotte Saiz and Tina Spillman found themselves at the center of excitement when KISD Superintendent Jo Ann Fey, along with representatives from Bubba’s 33 and Communities in Schools, entered their classroom bearing gifts to express appreciation for their hard work. Saiz, a second-grade teacher, was recognized by school administrators as a true leader who mentors other educators, while Spillman, who teaches functional skills, was acknowledged for her dedication to students with health issues. view article

The district says consolidating four schools and closing a fifth would allow it to save $10 million in operating costs. view article

Kristin Harman knew her position as an instructional coach at Arlington ISD’s Bailey Junior High School might get cut. Harman’s job is funded by federal pandemic relief funds, which expire in September 2024. She started questioning the district about her future in December 2023, she said. view article

Several Texas school leaders spent their spring break in Washington, D.C., asking federal lawmakers for help in dealing with a persistent shortage of teachers. Hundreds of school principals from across the country were on Capitol Hill on Thursday as a part of an annual advocacy conference organized jointly by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. During meetings with members of Congress and legislative staffers, principals asked them to support pending legislation creating pathways into the teaching profession and expanding access to mental health services for students. view article

HISD boss says vast majority ‘will be asked to return’; screenings’ results led to outrage. Houston ISD appointed Superintendent Mike Miles defended the results of his controversial principal screenings Monday, after nearly half of the district’s principals were notified that they had not yet met the requirements to guarantee their jobs next year. The 117 principals who must undergo a second screening to remain in HISD include both longtime veterans and principals appointed by Miles’ administration just this year, representing Houston’s highest- and lowest-performing schools. Miles projected confidence Monday that the majority of those principals would keep their jobs, and he noted that most of the district’s remaining school leaders had already passed the bar. view article

The Texas Education Agency has granted Frisco ISD's application for the initial phase of the Teacher Incentive Allotment, paving the way for qualified FISD educators to obtain a state-funded stipend between $2,700 and $14,000. To be eligible for the stipend, educators must be recognized as top-performing according to the TEA's standards, with designations categorized into three levels: Recognized, Exemplary, and Master. The stipend amount is determined by the teacher's designation level along with five other criteria. Since 2019, Frisco ISD has actively pursued this additional financial support for its educators, aiming to offer a route for higher teacher salaries, attract and retain effective teachers, and encourage teaching in the most challenging environments. view article

On the first day after Spring Break, Houston Independent School District’s Superintendent Mike Miles tried to set the record straight, saying the district does not plan to fire more than 100 principals. Some of those principles got notices last week they interpreted as threats that if they didn’t improve, they could lose their jobs. view article

According to the school district, these teachers are nearing a six-figure salary. view article

A teacher from the Northwest school district, which includes parts of Tarrant, Denton, and Wise Counties, is speaking ou after being targetted online for her support of gay students. view article

New Spring ISD Athletic Director Derrell Oliver took an unconventional career path before becoming the first African American in district history to hold the position. Oliver, who graduated from James Madison High School in Houston, has experience in collegiate sports and high school football coaching, but he spent much of his life as an engineer, working for NASA and Hewlett Packard. view article

Houston ISD officials plan to reduce or remove several stipends for extra work of up to $2,500 for district employees in the 2024-25 academic year, according to its proposed compensation plan. HISD released its compensation plan for the upcoming school year in early March, outlining the annual base salaries for all of the district’s employees and the incentives and stipends they are eligible to earn. The district offers stipends for duties that are unrelated to an employee’s primary job, such as working days outside of their normal schedule. While many stipends will remain next year, the district no longer lists stipends for several positions, including academic coaches, teacher mentors, speech and debate sponsors and department chairs. view article

With Spring Break now over, many Houston Independent School District educators may unfortunately find themselves out of a job next year. Superintendent Mike Miles is expected to hold a news conference Monday morning to discuss the possibility of removing nearly half of HISD’s principals for the 2024-2025 school year. view article

The Texas Education Agency has granted Frisco ISD's application for the initial phase of the Teacher Incentive Allotment, paving the way for qualified FISD educators to obtain a state-funded stipend between $2,700 and $14,000. To be eligible for the stipend, educators must be recognized as top-performing according to the TEA's standards, with designations categorized into three levels: Recognized, Exemplary, and Master. The stipend amount is determined by the teacher's designation level along with five other criteria. view article

Its recent move to let go of over 100 employees will save Fort Worth ISD more than $9.4 million, records show. At least 112 staff members with an average yearly salary of $84,571 have been cut from Fort Worth ISD as part of a layoff plan announced by district officials in February. Records obtained by the Fort Worth Report showed that the restructuring impacted technology positions the most, with IT specialists and data analysts among those laid off. view article

Michelle Williams has been a teacher with Houston ISD for more than 20 years, but she's no longer doing what she loves because she feels she's being retaliated against. Williams was reassigned to work at the district's bus barn while HISD investigated what they called "inappropriate conduct." view article

Houston ISD has begun the hiring season for the 2024-25 school year and is looking to hire new teachers and other employees to work in campuses across the district. “HISD is building an elite team to serve our students — so if you’re an effective teacher or one who is ready to grow as an educator, we want you to join us,” Chief Human Resources Officer Jessica Neyman said in a news release. “In turn, we pledge to support you." view article

Alvin ISD has welcomed new principals for Don Jeter and Hood-Case Elementary Schools. Johanna Ramírez and Victor Martinez were named principals for the schools by the district's board of trustees at a March 5 district meeting. view article

Lamar Consolidated ISD is mourning the loss of two teachers who were found dead inside of their Fort Bend County home. It's being investigated by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's office as a murder-suicide. In a release Lamar Consolidated ISD sent to parents, they said the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a home on Darst Field Trail for a wellness check and that’s when they found the two teachers -- identified as fourth-grade teacher Alba Marina Garcia, 34, and fourth-grade teacher Gene Mark Hudgson-Sjogreen,34, -- dead. view article

To battle shortages and support future teachers, the University of Texas at Arlington received $1.25 million in federal funds to help students pursuing degrees in special education. The five-year grant will fund six students per year and cover 100% of in-state tuition, fees and other costs, such as textbooks, housing and childcare needs.  Texas has faced a shortage of special education teachers for decades, which leaves many students with disabilities without services and support.  Last school year, 702,785 public school students were enrolled in special education programs, nearly 13% of all students, according to state data. But only 36,110 teachers served such students, resulting in a teacher-student ratio of 1:19. view article

During Tuesday’s board meeting, Killeen ISD trustees reviewed a presentation by Austin-based Gibson Consulting, on the condition of the district’s Special Education program.  The entire report, which was provided to the KISD Audit Committee Feb. 29, is over 165 pages, including appendicies. It includes 18 recommendations, rated as low-, medium- and high-priority concerns that address the issues within the Special Ed Department. The complete report also includes findings from interviews with staff and parents and comments from a survey of parents and caregivers. view article

In late February and early March, Round Rock ISD named two new heads of departments overseeing special education as well as the district's safety and security initiative. Read on to learn more about these new program leaders. view article

The Texas Education Agency has awarded new Teacher Incentive Allotments to 778 Brownsville Independent School District teachers, bringing the number covered by the excellence program from 32 to 810. The TIA framework became law in 2019 under House Bill 3 to reward the best teachers in Texas with large pay increases based on performance. view article

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Fort Worth ISD is saving more than $9.4 million through its recently announced layoffs, according to documents obtained through an open records request. The records detail how much money the district is saving after district officials did not provide an estimate. The documents also showed fewer employees laid off than originally announced. view article

Houston ISD is again embroiled in internal strife and public controversy. On Friday, the district released performance ratings to principals. After the Houston Chronicle published details about the ratings, the administration suggested the possibility of legal action against the news outlet and launched an investigation to find the source of the leak. view article

BLANCO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Blanco Independent School District School Resource Officer is under investigation for allegedly making inappropriate comments to a student.  The city confirmed a student made the complaint against the SRO that worked at Blanco High School.  Former Blanco County detention officer faces sexual assault charge  Maria Mathis-Kruser said she found out about what allegedly happened from the parent of the teen.  “I have a very, very close family friend that I work with,” Mathis-Kruser said. “He was telling me about this incident with the resource officer and his daughter. When he was speaking to me about it,  view article

Third-grade teacher Michelle Williams has been a vocal critic of HISD Superintendent Mike Miles. Houston ISD teacher and union president Michelle Williams faces removal after years of working in the district based on a string of social media posts that were critical of HISD boss Mike Miles.  According to a Thursday report by the Houston Chronicle, Williams, a third-grade teacher at Shadowbriar Elementary School, was issued a letter informing her that she was being relocated to the bus distribution center Northwest Motor Pool, effectively kicking her out of the classroom because of alleged "inappropriate conduct." In addition to being an educator and community advocate, Williams is also the union leader of the Houston Education Association-TSTA/NEA.  view article

Leander ISD will begin hiring for new full-time positions ahead of next school year as some student populations and campuses experience growth. The board of trustees approved the early release of 19 additional positions for special education, bilingual and dual language programs as well as the district’s Early College High School at a March 7 meeting.  The board's vote has allowed the district to start hiring for $1.3 million in additional positions for next school year before the district’s fiscal year 2024-25 budget is adopted, Superintendent Bruce Gearing said. Beginning the hiring process early will allow the district to find the most qualified candidates for positions that are traditionally hard to fill, he said.  “The longer we leave them unfilled, the more difficult it is for us to fill them. These are in parts of the district that are difficult to find people,” Gearing said in an interview with Community Impact. view article

In some ways, Doris Milton is a Head Start success story. She was a student in one of Chicago’s inaugural Head Start classes, when the antipoverty program, which aimed to help children succeed by providing them a first-rate preschool education, was in its infancy. Milton loved her teacher so much that she decided to follow in her footsteps. She now works as a Head Start teacher in Chicago. view article

A contracted security officer at Johnson Elementary School in Bryan was fired on Tuesday after leaving their gun and holster in a nurse’s bathroom, according to the school district. In a recorded phone message shared with parents this afternoon, the school district said the incident happened earlier in the school day. “We wanted to inform you that earlier today an armed campus security officer left their duty belt in the nurse’s office bathroom. While no student handled the duty belt and the weapon remained holstered, we understand that this news may be unsettling,” the recording said. view article

A Keller ISD teacher says students aren’t the reason she recently resigned, effective at the end of the school year. Instead, she pointed at district leaders and an agenda she claims is being pushed. view article

Leander ISD is excited to announce Lauren Meeks as the new principal of Cedar Park Middle School. Superintendent Bruce Gearing, Ed.D., said that Meeks is an instructional leader with a servant heart. “Lauren leads her campus passionately, while cultivating that same passion for learning in her students and staff,” Gearing said. “She began her educational career here in LISD as a teacher, and has served as Principal at Parkside Elementary, Assistant Principal at Henry Middle School and Instructional Coach at Reagan Elementary. I look forward to her continued service to her students, staff and families at CPMS.” view article

Keller ISD board members named Ramsey Branch, who has served the district since 2015, the new principal of Keller Middle School at their Feb. 29 meeting. The details According to a district news release, Branch has been an assistant principal at Keller High School since 2018. Before that, Branch also served Keller High School as a science teacher. He began his teaching career in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2004. view article

The teacher was exposed by Libs of TikTok last month.  A North Texas high school teacher who was exposed by Libs of TikTok for dressing in drag in front of his students has resigned.  A video shared on X just last month showed the male teacher, identified as Rachmad Tjachyadi of Hebron High School in Lewisville ISD, roaming the halls of the school while wearing a pink dress and pink cowboy hat. view article

HISD plans to increase some teacher salaries By Megan Menchaca STAFF WRITER Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Minimum base salaries for HISD teachers working at non-NES schools will increase from $61,500 to $64,000. Melissa Phillip/Staff photographer Superintendent Mike Miles talks with a student during a visit at Kashmere High School last month. Houston ISD plans to increase salaries for teachers working at campuses outside the New Education System by up to $2,500 during the upcoming school year. HISD released its compensation manual for the 2024-25 school year Tuesday, which outlines the proposed annual salaries for all of the district’s employees, including teachers. The manual shows that the district plans to increase minimum base salaries for teachers working at non-NES schools from $61,500 to $64,000 and bump the minimum hourly wage for all employees up to $15. view article