More than 160 teachers in Houston ISD’s under-performing middle and high schools weren’t offered jobs at those campuses next year, the district announced Friday evening. The decision affects staffing at nine schools targeted in Superintendent Terry Grier’s “Apollo 20” reform plan.
Of the 600 teachers at those schools last year, 358 — or 60 percent — learned on Friday that the district wants them to return to help with the improvement efforts. But the district is forcing 162 teachers, or 27 percent of the staff, out of those schools. The administration made the decisions based on “an exhaustive data-driven evaluation” of the teachers, according to the news release, which didn’t specify what data were used.
An additional 80 teachers at the targeted schools previously had decided to retire, resign or transfer to other campuses, according to HISD. “In some cases, teachers opted not to stay due to a personal conflict with the longer school year and longer school day schedules of the Apollo schools,” the news release said.