Houston teachers' union dismiss lawsuit against HISD superintendent
HOUSTON - The Houston Federation of Teachers has dismissed its lawsuit against Houston ISD following the approval of a policy in a board meeting.
On Thursday night, the HISD Board of Managers approved the use of the state T-TESS appraisal system for teachers in the 2023-24 school year.
Texas Teacher Evaluation & Support System (T-TESS) is a system designed by educators to support teachers in their professional growth, according to the TEA.
"T-TESS is a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation system that requires walkthrough and formal observations and prioritizes instruction and student performance in assessing teacher effectiveness," Superintendent Mike Miles writes in a proposal to the board. "While T-TESS does not include all the components of the new HISD evaluation system, it will allow us to ensure excellent instruction in every classroom."
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The union initially filed the lawsuit due to Miles' proposal and the board of managers' approval of Policy DNA, a new local appraisal system.
"The hollowed-out version of DNA approved by the board of managers does not contain any performance criteria, and it is unknown what the criteria will be for evaluating a teacher's performance," their suit stated.
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According to HFT, they filed to dismiss the lawsuit but also filed a grievance against Mike Miles over the "unlawful policy". HFT says they will litigate the issue through the grievance process and go back to court, if necessary after the administrative process is completed.
"It is the job of the Board of Managers to be a guard rail and ensure that the appointed superintendent is following the law, not rubber stamp his every whim," said Chris Tritico, general counsel for HFT. "If they will not do their job and enforce the law that protects students, teachers, and staff, then we will. We cannot have our teachers teaching respect for the law in our classrooms, while the superintendent and the board are violating it in the boardroom."
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HFT President Jackie Anderson underscored the reason the local union filed the suit in the first place.
"We did not file a lawsuit to escape being evaluated as educators. We filed a lawsuit to ensure that the process for teacher evaluations is built upon a solid foundation — one based upon a lawful process, " Anderson said. "We are professionals, and we welcome accountability. We expect the same from those in charge. If Mike Miles ever cared to listen to the workforce and community he now leads, he’d know that."