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Librarians seek pay-equity under new state rules; parents press board on device policy and 1-to-1 plans
Summary
Several Humble ISD librarians urged the board to pursue state reimbursement after legislative changes they say created pay inequities; parents and community members asked the board for a timeline or plan to address a new state ban on personal devices in schools and to move toward 1-to-1 student devices.
Multiple speakers at public comment urged the Humble ISD Board of Trustees to address two issues they said will affect instruction: pay classification for librarians under recent state law changes and technology access after a state ban on certain personal devices.
George May, an attorney and district resident, told trustees he had reviewed “house bill 2” and the state education code and said the statutory text supports librarians who teach four or more hours per day qualifying as classroom teachers and therefore eligible for state reimbursement under the law. “We need to get that money from the state, and we need to get that to our educators,” May said.
Several librarians explained how their schedules and duties include daily instruction for all students on their campuses. One speaker, identified as Zavala, said district librarians “teach every day and teach every week… We are librarians, and we are not posturing. We are not pretending. We are teachers.” They asked the board to pursue equitable compensation and cited job-code distinctions referenced in state guidance: job code 087 (teachers required to hold a certificate) and job code 013 (library supervisor classification), which they said do not reflect actual classroom duties for many elementary librarians.
On a separate but related education-policy topic, retired educator Gail Samples asked how the district will respond to “house bill 1841 by Fairley, now that Governor Abbott has signed it into law,” listing eight specific questions about access to learning technology, timelines for a 1-to-1 device program, funding options and whether the district will seek a waiver to continue existing device practices in the short term. “With phones and personal devices banned by state law, what is the district's plan to ensure that all students still have consistent access to learning technology during the day?” Samples asked.
Other public commenters reiterated concerns about the district’s 2-to-1 cart-based system of classroom devices and urged the board to develop a plan to move toward a 1-to-1 model. Parents stressed equity challenges for low-income students who lack personal devices and asked for an update or proposal before the next meeting.
In response, trustees discussed process options and where technology planning should be considered. Several board members said technology issues would be appropriate for the existing committee structure; the board declined, by recorded votes, to call a special meeting devoted solely to a technology/1-to-1 session. A motion for a special meeting on technology failed by a 4–2 vote, and board members said the technology committee will take up detailed planning first.
Board members and administration asked that public commenters’ specific policy questions be routed through committee work and administrative briefings so that recommendations can be returned to the full board for action.
