HISD meeting sees sustained public outcry over teacher nonrenewals, NES changes
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Summary
Dozens of students, teachers and union leaders told the Houston ISD board that recent nonrenewals and New Education System (NES) changes are harming classroom instruction and morale; the board heard public comments but took no vote on personnel changes.
Dozens of students, parents and union leaders used public comment at the Houston Independent School District (HISD) board meeting on May 8 to press the district over recent teacher nonrenewals and changes tied to the district’s New Education System.
Speakers told the board that the departures are harming classroom instruction and student well‑being. “We’re asking for better learning. We want classrooms that feel human again,” said Jalen Carruthers, a 10th‑grade student at Sharpstown International School. Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said teachers have “stood tall” despite “a year where creativity was stifled” and urged the district to stop pushing educators out.
The comments built on testimony earlier in the meeting from students who described teachers being replaced by staff who “follow orders, but don’t connect with our students,” and from parents who said beloved teachers were being reassigned or let go during Teacher Appreciation Week. Students read poems and letters to illustrate the personal impact; one speaker said a teacher “helped me learn math, reading and writing, but also how to work in teams, lead and be kind.”
Union and community leaders framed the personnel actions as part of a larger dispute over NES and district management. Jackie Anderson told the board the union “honors” teachers who have remained through “frustration, exhaustion and lack of support,” and called public attention to reassignment and nonrenewal decisions affecting special‑education and veteran staff.
Board members did not take a personnel vote in the public session. Several speakers also called for the superintendent to appear at consultation meetings and for state intervention to end; those requests were public comment rather than formal board actions. The district’s executive leadership responded to some questions in separate agenda items earlier in the meeting but made no personnel announcements during public comment.
The public testimony underscored broader tensions about instructional approach, the pace of change in NES campuses, and district supervision. Students, parents and organized labor urged HISD leaders to reverse or slow personnel changes and to expand supports so teachers can deliver the kind of instruction witnesses described as “human” and creative.
