HISD board to consider reduction in force agenda items after vote to close 12 schools

Houston ISD considering teacher layoffs amid closures

Teachers are on edge as Houston ISD considers potential staff cuts. FOX 26's Karys Belger explains. 

HOUSTON - The items involve continuing contract teaching fields and term contract employment areas that could be affected if staffing reductions become necessary.

Houston ISD board considering possible staffing cuts

What we know:

The discussion comes just weeks after the board voted to close 12 elementary schools. Before that vote, district leaders said they would work to place affected teachers and staff in new roles, with priority given to special education and specialty instructors.

Now, with the board preparing to take up reduction in force-related items, teachers say the uncertainty is growing.

What we know:

HISD says the agenda items are part of standard district procedure.

In a statement sent to FOX 26, the district said Board Policy DFFC requires the superintendent to identify, for board approval, the teaching fields that could be impacted if a reduction in force involving employees on continuing contracts becomes necessary.

The district said the agenda item includes potential teaching fields across elementary and secondary campuses, as well as select central office positions, to give schools and departments flexibility to adjust staffing, implement program changes, reorganize teams, or respond to possible budget reductions if needed.

HISD also said the action does not direct or require any specific staffing reductions.

The vote also comes as the district continues expanding its New Education System. In a recent district update, HISD said several principals had voluntarily expressed interest in joining the model, with nine campuses under consideration.

What we don't know:

What remains unclear is whether all teachers and staff affected by the recent school closures will ultimately be placed in new positions.

It is also not yet clear which specific teaching fields or employment areas could face the most pressure if a reduction in force moves forward, how many employees could be impacted, or when any staffing decisions would be made.

Another major unanswered question is whether there will be enough open positions across the district for all displaced employees if more changes happen ahead of the next school year.

What they're saying:

The Houston Federation of Teachers says educators are already feeling uneasy.

"Well, our teachers are concerned about, and they are understandably anxious because of the culture in HISD if they’re going to have jobs next year," Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, told FOX 26. "With the closure of schools, we do understand that some positions may not be needed, but who is on the chopping block? We all want to know that."

Anderson said the district’s description of the items as routine does little to calm fears among teachers.

"It is a standard policy, but in the past, like I said, I’ve worked for HISD over 20 years, and I was never in fear of my job, even though I saw that on the agenda every year," Anderson said. "It never happened to me in that 20 years."

The bigger picture:

For teachers, the concern is not just about one board vote.

The agenda items come as HISD continues making major district wide changes, including school closures and expansion of its instructional model.

While the district says no specific staffing reductions are being approved right now, Wednesday’s vote could help shape what happens next if staffing changes become necessary.