HOUSTON — The Houston Independent School District (HISD) faced criticism during its last board meeting of the year Tuesday night as members of the community, educators and parents raised concerns about ongoing issues in the district.
Outside the meeting, members of the Community Voices for Public Education (CVPE) changed the lyrics of popular Christmas carols to highlight problems within HISD.
One group sang, “Oh HISD, oh HISD, why did all our teachers leave?”
The Houston Education Association (HEA) also spoke about the challenges teachers face.
“Teachers are being saddled with heavier workloads and more challenging assignments,” said Michelle Williams, HEA President. “We are seeing a disturbing trend where neither our students nor our teachers are given the time or resources necessary for success.”
Parents also expressed frustration with the district’s New Education System (NES).
“While these schools might sound good on paper, their current practices harm students by prioritizing standardized testing, neglecting individual needs,” said Liz Silva, an HISD parent.
"Assistant principals, beloved teachers are resigning. Being placed on leave, creating chaos," one speaker said.
Another group showed up at the board meeting to read alleged explicit content from school books aloud.
"The rule in this boardroom is no profanity….why is it in the book that you are providing to our high schoolers?" a speaker said.