Parents, trustees and students press Houston ISD to slow SB 1882 partnership plans and strengthen financial controls
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Summary
At a Jan. 29 special meeting, parents, students and Trustee Maria Benzon urged Houston ISD to slow adoption of SB 1882 innovation partnerships for magnet schools and demanded stronger contract protections and audit controls, while speakers cited falling enrollment, teacher shortages and a low sense of student belonging.
Trustees and district leaders heard a string of public comments on Jan. 29 calling for greater scrutiny of proposed SB 1882 innovation partnerships and for stronger fiscal safeguards.
Trustee Maria Benzon told the board that postponing a workshop on using SB 1882 to form partnerships or charter arrangements for schools such as HSPVA, HAIS and Energy raised "serious concerns," saying the changes "go to the heart of school identity, access, and trust." She said families and educators do not feel included in decisions that could reshape their schools.
Several speakers urged the board to require neutral legal support for principals entering any partnership. "If the franchisees are required to purchase services from the franchisor, those services can be pretty expensive unless contracts are set up to protect the franchisees," said Laura Henry, identifying herself as a magnet-school parent.
An unidentified commenter criticized what they described as weakened financial controls, saying the district appeared to combine CEO and CFO duties and remove independent audit and whistleblower protections from proposed contracts with SB 1882 operators. "Any audit that does not attest to compliance with generally accepted accounting principles is just meaningless," the speaker said, urging trustees to protect district assets and flagship magnets such as HSPVA.
Student speakers asked the board to prioritize certified teachers and human-written curriculum over investments in advertising and AI-driven lessons. An unidentified student also cited HISD's student climate survey, saying "only 37 percent of students report feeling a sense of belonging at school" and urged the board to publicly affirm the dignity and safety of LGBTQ+ students.
Board staff had earlier told attendees that the workshop listed in the public notice would not be conducted and that agenda item 4 — the proposed revision to board policy EL local campus and program charter (second reading) — had been withdrawn by the administration before the meeting. There was no board vote on the policy at this session.
Speakers pressed for clearer timelines and for the board to ask administration whether TEA application deadlines for SB 1882 funds can still be met if a policy is not in place. Several commenters warned trustees not to allow contracts to be finalized without required policy safeguards and audit rights.
The public comment portion concluded before the board moved on to employee hearings and formal votes.