HISD layoffs’ aftermath shakes HR
Reduced staff told to work weekends, forgo vacations in push to fill teaching positions
After significant layoffs at Houston ISD headquarters, dozens of human resources employees are being asked to work extra hours, including weekends, and to forgo making vacation plans, according to an email shared with the Chronicle, as the pressure mounts to resume classes next month with minimal open teaching jobs.
“As exempt employees, you are expected to work extended hours before and after your assigned work schedule, as needed, to complete all work-related tasks, assigned duties, and projects,” Wally de Covarrubia, an executive director in the HISD Office of Talent, wrote in an email sent at 9 p.m. Sunday to several dozen employees. “All team members are expected to be available to assist in work across HR departments, and therefore must be flexible and able to pivot to new assignments at a moment’s notice.”
In the email, Covarrubia said he appreciated patience and flexibility from employees during a “period of urgency” that is expected to last into September. Students return to classes Aug. 28, and teachers report to work two weeks earlier.
“It is critical that the HR department works to meet the Su
perintendent’s directive of having zero teacher vacancies on NES campuses, and only 50 teacher vacancies total for nonNES campuses by the start of the school year,” he wrote.
The tone and content of the email felt threatening, according to one employee in the HR department who asked to remain anonymous. The employee said the work environment has changed drastically since the new administration took charge, noting that in the past, supervisors would ask employees to volunteer for extra tasks and express gratitude for the hard work.
“The morale and the environment is just extremely toxic right now,” said the employee, whose identity has been verified by the Chronicle. “People are very cautious and afraid that they’re going to lose their job right now because their jobs are being threatened.”
The administration has slashed central office staff by roughly 25 percent, announcing last week that it will eliminate 1,675 vacant positions and 672 filled jobs. The human resources department was cut down from 235 to 153 positions, according to HISD.
Covarrubia, the executive director, told staff that they are expected to check in with their supervisor around 5 p.m. each day to confirm whether they can be released from work or “whether you are needed to assist in other projects,” the email said.
Covarrubia also banned supervisors from approving any leave requests without asking him first, according to the email, and seemed to discourage people from taking time off.
“Team members are reminded that it is highly recommended that you do not make any travel plans … before receiving approval from your assigned supervisor via OneSource,” the executive director wrote in the email.
Employees, too, were asked to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, marking the third change this summer in scheduled hours for the department, according to the anonymous HR employee. Central office employees typically worked four days a week during the summer break, but at the outset of his tenure, Miles asked the central office staff to clock in on Fridays.
The HR employee said the workload has increased as the school year approaches and morale has dropped in the wake of layoffs.
“There’s a sense of panic about getting these teachers in place,” the employee said.
Michelle Williams, president of the Houston Education Association and an HISD teacher, said she was “mortified” when she saw a screen-shot of the email circulating on social media.
While it is typical for staff to work overtime in preparation for the upcoming school year, Williams said the message seemed disrespectful.
“These people have not done anything wrong,” she said.
“Mike Miles created this problem and now he wants the remaining employees to clean up his mess.”
The district as of last Tuesday had hired more than 800 teachers — 655 internal candidates and 190 external hires — to fill the NES schools, leaving only 65 vacancies. Miles has said that the hiring process typically begins in the spring, but his administration got a late start since he was appointed as superintendent in June.
“We have six weeks, so we got to work hard, but we’re going to fill those 65 positions,” Miles said at a community meeting last week. “So the NES schools are looking pretty good right now.”
The district has not released districtwide teacher vacancy information, but announced Wednesday that 73 schools are fully staffed with teachers.
Williams questioned how the district will manage to fill all but 50 teaching positions in roughly a month. HISD started the school year last August with approximately 95 percent of the roles filled, leaving roughly 700 certified teacher vacancies.
“It’s unreasonable. We are in a nationwide shortage,” Williams said. “I don’t know where he thinks he’s going to get these magical teachers from — these other districts are not going to let teachers out of their contracts.”
The district is hosting hiring events and job fairs at HISD headquarters and at schools across the district, with events scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week. HISD is now offering a $300 referral bonus for teachers.