Miles’ leadership
Regarding “McClelland: HISD needs big changes. Let’s support Miles.,” (June 11): Scott McClelland, a private citizen and leader in business and civic affairs, has correctly identified the problems Houston ISD has not successfully addressed and that have lingered for years. Literally generations of children have been deprived of a solid education and been limited in their life opportunities because of HISD’s failure to act. The Chronicle has stoked the flames surrounding the Texas Education Agency takeover by refusing to address the underlying issues.
Well-meaning teachers and administrations have lacked the tools for improvement, in part because the teachers union has blocked efforts to weed out poor-performing teachers. The data necessary to identify substandard performance by teachers has been available for decades. McClelland is right — let’s turn the page and stop being angry.
Get on board with Superintendent Miles and support efforts to give our children what they need and deserve. I have served on the governor’s task force to implement education reform; on multiple Greater Houston Partnership education committees, on a previous superintendent’s committee to determine the fate of an underperforming HISD high school, and supported University of Houston faculty to analyze the data available for years (but not being used) to determine individual teacher performance.
John Cater, Houston
Regarding “Librarians do a lot more than check out books, Superintendent Miles (Opinion),” ( June 8): I am currently a media specialist/library educator in an HISD elementary here in Houston. The article stated that 80 HISD employees were going to receive assistance from HISD Library Services to obtain their master’s degrees in library science through the University of North Texas. I wanted to let you know that assistance will no longer be provided.
We found out six days before classes started that the funding would not be happening.
We had been promised all semester and attended special meetings, including meeting the program professors with whom we would be working. Because of the late notice, there was no way to apply for financial assistance. There are a small number of us who have continued on with the program; last I heard it was seven. That goes to show how much financial assistance is a barrier to this profession — especially considering that your salary doesn’t change whether you have a master’s in library science or are just a certified teacher in the library.
Thank you for writing this piece. His words were hurtful and harmful, not just to our profession but to our students and community.
Leslie Hokanson, Houston