How do you feel about District of Innovation?

How do you feel about an extended teacher work year? Would an increased salary affect your thoughts on this?
Do you think it is feasible to reduce preservice from 2 weeks to 1 week to offset added school days?

Do you think an increased year would benefit our students? Would shortening summer break be a detriment to our students?

Are you comfortable granting all the DOI powers to HISD leadership?

No, I do not trust current leadership to implement changes effectively or to our/student's advantage.

DOI is just another way for him to get what he wants and exert complete control over our district. Nothing that he has done so far is in the best interest of students. Extending the school year so students can sit in poorly air conditioned buildings after STAAR testing is complete will do nothing to help with their education.

I do not agree with an extended school year regardless of salary.

Extra days will not benefit our students. They are already given an opportunity for tutoring. Yet, most don’t show up on a regular basis.

No DOI. These theory of the week approaches continually proposed by the superintendent and his team have already been disproven repeatedly by truly scientific studies despite Myles’ vague anecdotal evidence. More and faster teaching does not equal better, deeper learning. For example, timers creates anxiety among teachers and students while they also ignore federal laws like the American Disabilities Act requiring more time for some of our students. Longer school days and school years will only increase student and teacher fatigue, leading to more fights and other disruptive behavior, more learner apathy, and more drop outs. Enough with the snake oil cures for an ailing school system. The problem isn’t our teachers.

I've been in a doi district. All it does is create bigger class sizes and allow uncertified teachers in the classroom and weaken public schools.

I do not agree with transitioning to DOI for certain reasons. I came from a district that was a DOI and the processs and procedures were not the same as HISD. My old superintendent at that school district used being a DOI in a positive way.

This change are Ridiculous! Students are burn already and is only 2 weeks of school !!! Same as Teachers and principals . We have family too and we can’t spend time with them because we are getting so early to school and getting so late home with a bunch of work to do at home that sooo many teachers are already quitting and much more will go to others District!!

I feel that if your going to add more days add them in the beginning. HISD’s student already starts 2-3 week after most district which means they have an advantage to STAAR. It’s too late at the end. Plus the students are mentally tied after STARR.

As a teacher, I would not like an extended year. Students and teachers are already burned out by the end of the regular year as it is. Reducing pre-service would be a terrible disservice to everyone. We’ve done it before and it was a nightmare. The amount of work that goes into elementary classrooms takes weeks. I even use my own time BEFORE pre-service and it’s still a race. An extra $1,000 or whatever it may be is just an insult to teachers’ time.

An increased year would benefit absolutely no one. Just because a student is in a classroom for more time does not mean they’re learning. There is a point of exhaustion after STAAR where they’re just DONE.

Seeing that the DOI got approved broke my heart. I know some people use the powers with integrity, but it will not be the case under the thumb of Mike Miles. The first thing he’s going to do is implement the NES evaluation system, and the union won’t be able to protect us the way they did this year.

I hope this survey is sent repeatedly over the next few weeks to ensure teachers and stakeholders get their voices heard.

I am against the DOI. We will loose many good teachers and students. We come back on our own time to set up our rooms. At the end of the year, kids and teachers are tired and ready for a break. Your body and brain need this rest. No, Hisd should never have full control.

As a classroom teacher, i am not in favor of the extended school year. The school year as it is with all the new policies and ridiculously increased amount of labor seems to not be looking so bright for the wellness of teachers. As we know, students absorb the energy of the teacher. When i walk around school it feels like a micromanaged prison. My salary would have to increase to 90-100k NOT based on student performance because performance is not an accurate reflection of how hard working the teacher is. There are students who come from all paths of life and we never know who is going to be in that classroom. Some students need MUCH more support than others and unfortunately will still not perform the way we wish (passing). Pre service can Be reduced to week and a half at least. The majority of HISD training are pointless, repetitive, and hard to maneuver.
Lastly i do NOT trust just district people to be in charge of DOI or any other decisions. THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT ITS LIKE TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM AND ARE NOT DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE FINAL SAY

No! DOI will not benefit our students. Before voting on a proposal to increase the number of school days, we should first address the current attendance issues and the decline in student enrollment.

No I am not. I'm concerned that the needs of teachers are not being heard. I also feel we are being railroaded. I feel like the new leadership feels empowered and using it to is full effect. They walked in with no regard to those that are here. That we don't have a voice. Because of the failing schools it shows that anyone in the district doesn't know what they are doing. I'm watching now that it started with we will have meetings telling you what we are doing. Then it was we will punish you if you speak out. Then a lawsuit saying the implementation was illegal. Now after all this. We will hold meetings too hear others. First time any stake holders, community, leaders invited to speak. What a bad look for the new leadership after being told by law you have to listen. The leadership speaks about how surprised they were by the Hispanic community that they had good ideas. But it is a hollow gesture because the cards on the table. This new process is just one more way to obtain more power to make changes without accountability.

I am one exhausted educator. Miles is taking away the joy from my career. I personally don’t believe that he will do right by the students or staff if we go DOI. Long time in school isn’t great on the kids mental. NES schools already go to school longer. We have lives outside of the school.

Please please please Lord help HISD Staff and students.

First, I am not comfortable giving anyone so much power. That will ultimately be abused and hurt everyone including students.
Teachers work long enough hours without any compensation. If a longer school year (year round school) was implemented, then there should be at least a 1 week break every month, Christmas would continue with 2 weeks. With a longer year, compensation would have to increase a long with better insurance at a cheaper rate for teachers.
Make it so people desire to want to come to HISD not just have to for a job.

I feel fear and instability working at Hisd now. Longer hours and more days doesn’t means better education. Quantity is not quality education. Hisd leadership should not have the whole power, we are a Democracy, say no to anarchism.

I completely against the change to DOI.

The summer seems shortened already. Although I would love to make more, I’m not interested in working more hours.

Increased year Miranda students will miss more days. There’s attendance issues now. Students and teachers need the little summer break we receive.

No, I’m not comfortable with it, but HISD Leadership seems to already have all powers to do whatever.

NO!!! To DISTRICT OF INNOVATION

DOI will continue to deprofressionalize teaching. We need more time for preservice, but not if it’s wasted in pointless and repeated PD. We need more than one teacher prep day during preservice, and then perhaps we can reduce preservice to one week. The school year should not be extended, though perhaps a year round model could work. The public needs to have the say in public education.

I think there are a lot of benefits to being a DOI IF you trust the superintendent and elected board members. Pushing this though with state appointed peeps does not adhere to the spirit of the law in getting community feedback and buy in. Miles’ actions and words are not in alignment.

No, I don’t think an in read school year would benefit anyone.

Hello,
Although I’m all for changed to better the education of all the students at HISD, the way that all of this is being conducted is not in the students best interest.

How do you feel about an extended teacher work year?
I don’t think this would work. A lot of the students that we teach today aren’t very much interested in their education and extending their school year would just not work for those students.
Would an increased salary affect your thoughts on this?
No an extension to my salary would affect my thoughts of extending the school year.

Do you think it is feasible to reduce preservice from 2 weeks to 1 week to offset added school days?
I usually go in 1-2 weeks before preservice to set up my classroom because I know pre service is packed with essential and non essential trainings, meeting etc. So I thinks that if it’s reduced to 1 week instead of 2 to help offset the added school days that would be okay.

Do you think an increased year would benefit our students?
No, like I stated before it wouldn’t help because many students in low income neighborhoods (which we have a lot) only care about surviving and ensuring that they eventually have a job to take care of themselves and their families. The kids this year that are at NES or NESA school have already made negative comments about them being at school so late.

Would shortening summer break be a detriment to our students?
Yes shorting summer break would be a detriment on our students, they need time away from school to be children wether they are young, teens and almost adults. They are already spend 8-10 hours at school for 180 days consistently. Students, teacher, parents and all staff are already exhausted and extending the school year would burn everyone out.

Are you comfortable granting all the DOI powers to HISD leadership?
No! I am not comfortable with granting DOI power to the new HISD leadership. Most maybe all of them aren’t here for the students and to better their education. I didn’t elect them to represent me as a parent, educator and member of the HISD community so they shouldn’t be making any decisions.

No, I do not agree with DOI. Students would be burn out. It is not quantity od days but quality. Workbooks and sheets are too much. DOL is like a test everyday!

No! I don’t think that they have a long term view of the problem. They are interested is short term fixes that benefit certain stakeholders. We need to focus on increasing funding for education as priority one.

I think it is a horrible idea. I’m not even at a NES school but this year has still been the worst year in my 18 years at HISD. If this gets pushed through, HISD will REALLY have a teacher shortage next year. I guess Miles can just hire all the uncertified people he wants. One of our new teachers is uncertified and it shows. The parents are already making noises. But no one will listen until the parents stand up. It’s the parents you need to reach out to get opinions from. Nobody listens to the teachers.

We should NOT have an extended work year. Increased salary would not affect my thoughts on this. And I do think it would be feasible to shorten preservice.

Taking pre-service down to one week and keeping it streamlined and campus based is feasible. Adding days would only be okay with added pay at our current daily rates. I am NOT okay with doing away with class size limits. I am NOT okay with innovative curriculum (i.e. Carnegie, Amplify, Eureka, etc). I am NOT okay with uncertified folks in classrooms. I am NOT okay with extended hours in a workday unless paid AND optional (like tutoring). I AM NOT OKAY with skirting current laws to push the voucher agenda.

I do not want to be a District of Innovation. Not in this state of mistrust among teachers and the people at HMW.

I do not agree with anything with the DOI, extended work year, not comfortable granting any power to the HISD leadership.

I would NOT want HISD to turn into a DOI.

If the district keeps making these changes, I’m fearful that we will lose good teachers to other districts and they will be replaced with non-certified teachers.

Summers help teachers recharge and students recharge. Shortening the summer isn’t worth the mental and emotional sacrifice. If they are going to extend the year, I think the schedule should be similar to the 4 day schedule summer school schedule, but it doesn’t seem like our superintendent approves those. Ultimately my mental health isn’t worth sacrificing for extra pay. We need the break and the period to recharge.

I’m very disappointed in the changes being made without research to back that the methods are effective and beneficial for students.

I do not want an extended teacher work year. An increase of salary does not change my mind about DOI. Pre service needs to stay 2 weeks. No, an increase year would not benefit students. Students need the longer Summer break just as teachers need it! No, I am not comfortable granting all the DOI powers to HISD leadership.

No, I’m sick and exhausted with this new curriculum. Copies after copies, and ridiculous expectations. I’m tired and it’s the 1st 2 weeks of school. You won’t have a many teachers returning thanks to Mikes Miles. I suggest you treat people with respect and give support. Otherwise there will be no HISD, but that is what Mike Miles wants.

This year is draining already. If they asked to do this last year then sure. If next year is anything like this year or worse, then no thank you!!


An increased year would be a disservice to the entire community, students, and staff. Summer programs would be forded to close, students wouldn’t want to produce anything for us, and the teachers need a break.

I do not want DOI.

No, I do not. Many of the much needed services that are crucial to our students are being reduced dramatically or eliminated. Non-NES campuses are being treated as NES campuses and the autonomy to do what we know as educators and best practices has disappeared in the two weeks that we have been in school. Burnout and low moral are rampant on many campuses and extending the school year, even with increased pay is not worth my emotional an mental health. To hold each campus in HISD to the same standard is not logical. We are a diverse district in many different ways…wealthy schools with many resources, poor schools with little resources, schools with true ELL populations (not Spanish speaking, who come from other parts of the world-usually war torn countries). With regard to PD, while it is necessary, the PD was ineffective and a waste of time (we are still struggling with Amplify/Eureka because of lack of training. I am not comfortable giving any more power to the trustees, who seem to know nothing of the education process.

I feel if they extend the year they also need to increase teacher salaries. I so think a longer school year would be beneficial but not in a ‘just add days to the end’ kind of way. I think extending the year into the summer would only be beneficial if there were more, longer breaks integrated throughout the year. Just tacking days on will lead to burn out of both teachers and students. HISD leadership should carefully consider the fact that we are surrounded by other districts, with equal or better pay , and better academic calendars. If they want to retain their talent, they need to compete with those districts

I am personally ok with a few days or one week less of preservice and one more week of instruction if (There is one day one teacher prep day, 3 campus training days, one day job alike for district —with specialized job and district requirements/ mandate). I really think campus needs should come first for improvements to occur. The campus SDMC and campus based decisions are important. Proposed changes should be shared prior to the new school year.

I am not in favor of a longer school year without commiserate pay. We are used to longer summers, a sudden change would impact morale of students and staff. I saw the proposed summer school being schedule being six weeks and running well into July. It made me not want to work summer school (which I have done for at least 20 summers). Campuses do cleaning and repairs in the summer. Twelve month people take time off, etc. On a side note, I am finishing my 34th year, and while career ladder is only about a $500 a year increase without raises, I think longevity should be acknowledged and encouraged. I see young enthusiastic people come in, make changes, leave because they are not happy and the rest of us have to deal with the changes.

No to getting rid of the DAC or installing the DOI. Systems are in place for a reason. Change does not have to happening all at once. Experiments isolate one variable at a time. I feel teachers have a voice that needs to be heard in the business of teaching. We need checks and a balance of powers. The DOI does not need to be done. Let’s do changes through our current system. We do not need Mike Myles singing and dancing to his own tune and leaving teachers and students standing in the wings waiting without communicating expectations or answering questions..

Brad Wray Thank you for being proactive as a member of the DAC and doing the job of representing teachers and gaining input. Thank you for your time, service and empathy. We need you for sure! Deady needs you too.

I have 16 years experience. I am a highly rated teacher on an A rated campus, and have been in district mentoring roles for 3 years. Of course, those truly innovative, positive programs have been cut.

1/4. DOI gives too much power to a board and superintendent with no checks and balances and so little protection for stakeholders. Skirting state law is unacceptable in the current climate with current leadership. The risks are far greater than a calendar. Hiring uncertified teachers, reducing teacher benefits, larger class sizes for elementary students, etc.

2. In the event of extending the teacher contract calendar, I will just quit as will dozens of my colleagues and thousands in the district. They will replace us with inexperienced, uncertified teachers who will only exacerbate the issues. So many schools and workplaces are moving to a shorter calendar because it benefits productivity, attendance, and reduces stress. I believe replacing 5 district PD days with instruction days is a fair idea. Taking away teacher prep days will only harm students and teachers. We actually need back additional prep days at the beginning of each semester. Campus PD are also necessary to build a cohesive environment. Otherwise, campus PD will just take place after school or during currently state-mandated teacher plan time.

Pay is not a factor. Please understand that we use summers to be with family and travel. If the summer is shorter, we will just have to do those things during the year. Sub shortage and students attendance would get worse.

3. Longer school year will not help kids. It will only exhaust them. Kids need to be accountable for grades and not completing work during the regular school year. Students with IEP for disabilities need to be given compassion. What about on/above level students and schools? Children deserve to be children. Why not use the fall, spring, and summer camps we already have in place for struggling students instead?

I guess I would need to know more. I would want to see the calendar and the pay rate. I definitely am fine with one week of preservice. I think an increased school year would benefit some and not others. As for the powers - I'm not comfortable granting all powers to anyone. Thank you SO MUCH for being such an excellent representative for us!

The idea of voting Houston ISD at this point as a DOI is incredibly irresponsible. The DAC and the Democratic process is the only thing keeping the superintendent accountable to his employees. In the mist of a time period when far too many teachers are quitting before they have the experience needed to be a more effective teacher, it seems the only plan is to keep teachers by a bigger carrot and a heavier stick. Everyone is feeling it and the morale of teachers could not be lower than it is now. State requirements for certification keep HISD accountable to the public, we cannot lose them. Furthermore those systems of accountability in place will be one aspect which will retain teachers. Regarding the idea of reducing planning time for teachers, I felt like the money spent and the time spent for our two week planning was implemented by any organization since I began teaching in 2005. I feel like those two weeks were poorly planned from the very top by an incompetent micromanager who does not respect the professionalism of those under his employment to plan effectively. It is unfortunate that leadership from the top does not seem to respect the time teachers need to plan without micromanagement, but unfortunately it is not surprising anymore. If a secret poll were taken where we knew there would not be retaliation, I can guarantee the vast majority already feel teachers are working in an environment where they are not trusted and not respected as a professional educator. So many educators are not speaking out because they are in fear of losing their livelihood, this is abusive. Educators will take the micromanaging and hostile environment until they will not anymore. Please do not grant the district the ability to negate the proper channels of accountability. I believe that small level of accountability to the stakeholders are the one thing keeping many hard working educators from leaving the district.

In my opinion, students and teachers need the summer break. Shortening the summer break will not make students learn more than they already have during the school year. Getting a higher salary will not change my mind on this issue. If I work more days is reason enough to get a higher payment. However, in my opinion, students are tired and some even burnt out and need the break. Behavior issues may be on the rise if we have an extended school year. Also, I don’t believe the power should be given to the HISD leadership. The DAC committee was designed so teachers and parents have a say in important matters. Given all the power to a single group of leaders will lead to deaf ears to issues that affect teachers and students, maybe leading to cater to the ideas of a few HISD leaders which may impose unfair or even unreasonable decisions.

Considering all of the misguided changes already taking place in the district, becoming a DOI would only bring more chaos. A salary increase would not change my thoughts, as I currently work at an NES campus that has not been provided the promises made by the superintendent and approved by his board of managers. The new salary is nice but not worth being denied the authenticity of being one's unique self to do what's best for our scholars.
As it relates to pre-service, if it's meaningful and directly tied to what we teachers really need, one week would be alright.
Increasing the school year would not close the gaps our scholars have. Meaningful, quality instruction is what is needed. We already have attendance issues, as well as students who have no drive to actively engaged in the required seat-time now. Adding more days will only increase the situation.
I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH GRANTING DOI POWER TO THIS HISD LEADERSHIP!

If it's for the benefit of our students, let us try it.
It's ok to have an extended year. An increased salary needs to be considered, as our neighboring districts do.
No, two week preservice days will let the teachers better prepared.
In my opinion, alonger school year will benefit our students in long run.
Voice of community needs to be heard too.

No to extended school year, no to hiring uncertified teachers, we need DAC!(it is the closest opportunity for any hint of democracy! We need voting voices of DAC to represent concerns and needs of teachers and students.

I don’t agree at all with DOI. Our district does not need to be run by individuals who have no knowledge of a profesión that is creating and nourishing the minds of our future leaders.

I think the whole entire idea is awful. Giving Miles power like that will be to the detriment of the students, staff, and ultimately the community. HISD is not a “District of Innovation” it’s a district of lies and chaos. Please don’t let this happen.

I believe that making these changes as the school year is already underway is not fair. This would need to be planned in advance to ensure the teachers, parents, and students are available and willing to participate.
We have already extended our school day for the younger students and I am seeing burnout in week two. Imagine what an extended school year would do? We have had only one week of inservice before and it was very rushed and tight to get the compliance trainings done and classrooms set up.
I am not against a schedule that spreads out our school year more evenly across the calendar year, but I do not think students should have MORE school days. They need rest and time with their families. Summer regression does happen, especially for the younger students. If our school year had more frequent and shorter breaks throughout and we had a shorter summer, students would not regress as much and teachers/students would not be burnt out as much during the school year. I do not agree with adding more school days though.
I am 100% against granting the DOI powers to our current HISD leadership. Under this leadership, many things have been said or promised and then changed the next day. They are changing the NES Model guidelines as they go so it fits their narrative. I believe giving them this DOI power would cause them to be even more on a power trip and it could be bad for our students, teachers, and parents more than it already is.

I’ve been with HISD 10 years. Giving this false machine a power of this magnitude would force me to leave the only district I’ve worked with. I believed in HISD, despite its previous problems, because at the end of the day, I knew most of us were in it for the kids. However, this regime has proven time and time again in its short time in power, that this is all about Mike and whatever his personal hang ups are for public education. It seems playing the pawn for an out of control and bigoted state government, is working out for Mike’s personal vendetta against public school teachers. For those of us schooled and certified, it’s abhorrent that this person, without current certifications, would have the power to act on his whims without considering what’s right for the clients we are servicing- students.
On a personal note, hisd is really a part of the greater houston area districts. With my children in FBISD, the difference in calendar would not work for my family and I will leave should DOI go through. And I’m going to say it. I’m a damn fine teacher. Great, in fact. I can get a job in a different district. I was offered one last year in my home district, but I turned it down bc I needed to be here for the kids I have invested into. To continue to fight and support the teams of teachers who want better pay, but we want to run our classrooms as the professionals that we are. Why else did I pay for my college education? Why else did I get my certification? Honestly, I know how to Mikes little game in the classroom while maintaining the original vision and integrity of what I do. But I know so many teachers who don’t realize how good they are or that they’ve been doing it right this whole time so they are melting down. Which I suspect is the real goal of this awful thing we have to deal with. If I was an evil SOB in the highest office in Texas and wanted to get rid of a big blue thorn in my side, then I would attack the school system and watch it implode, too. Who cares anyway? We are all black and brown anyway so what could our worth actually be?

I’d love to speak at every damn chance I could, but I love my principal and she’s working her butt off to keep him away from my high school. So I hesitate to show my face and bring her troubles. Sorry for the word vomit. I’ve kept very tight lipped. You’re doing great. Please don’t stop. Im sorry I’m not brave enough.

I do not like this idea for teachers, employees or students. Teachers already have high frustration. They say one thing but their body language says another. I will already predict there will be a massive turnover. I work with all the teachers and am not under the regular evaluation process. I do not do grades or lesson plans but I work with striving students and I go home exhausted each day. Summer is also a time teachers schedule doctor appointments, etc. ,because that is really being looked at during the school year. I think student performance might actually go down because of burn out. I already see their frustration too. School should be learning and fun at the same time. The students are as frustrated as the employees.

If I wanted to work more days and make more, I would find a different career. I already overhear many teachers talking about this.
I think in-service should only be one week and most of the days at our home school, so we can work in our room at breaks and lunch if we choose. This is also a high level of frustration to set up a classroom in one day plus get all materials ready. There is no need to go to somewhere like NRG. That all could be done virtually in a school setting.

I think an extended school year would cause concern for students and parents. Students have many summer activities. Where I am it is a very diverse, affluent population and a lot of students would be missing at the ending or beginning of school. They would not withdraw and re-enroll because our school is a magnet school by application. We already have a few families that do this to visit family or travel abroad. We will also have much absenteeism because our Christmas break this year is so close to Christmas day and many families travel.

I think the leadership already has too much power and if an employee doesn't agree with everything, they know they will not have a job. This includes principals all the way down.

As for class sizes, we are already crowded with 22 students. In some classrooms there is little to no space for small groups. If it is small group, while the rest of the class is doing a whole group lesson, it is hard to find a place for the adult in the small group to sit and not be in the way.
Administrators have too many things to do at the start of the day to be required to be in classes for 45 minutes with absolutely no disruptions. There is no time for teachers to take advantage of a teachable moment that might come up without being planned. Those are some of the most valuable times to reach some students but if it's not in the curriculum, forget it. Also, any teacher creativity and indivuality have gone away.
NO, the school year should not be extended and teachers should be allowed to plan and teach taking advantage of their strengths, even if it not exactly the same as the partner teacher, but the objective is accomplished.

I do not like the idea. Cutting preservice down to one week is not enough. The NRG trainings were a waste of time and not helpful.
And extended school year is not needed. Most are burned out by the end of the school year. An in crease in salary does not change my mind.
Do not shorten our summer breaks.

I am not comfortable granting all the DOI powers to hisd leadership because I do not trust them at all. This drill and kill teaching they have developed is not beneficial.

No extended work year; increased salary is not worth it to me. Reducing preservice is fine with me - I prefer being with students to being with adults anyway. Students need a full summer break. I could possibly see exceptions for SpEd. I don't have strong feelings about when we start school (as long as it's an appropriate distance from the end of the previous year). I don't object to hiring uncertified individuals AS LONG AS THEY ARE ON A CERTIFICATION PATH, with a specified time frame. I am 100% against increasing class size!

I don't want (for the love of all that's sacred) want the district to be a DOI. This would permanently cripple one of the most influencial and recognized public education districts in the US.

I prefer the 2 week preservice instead of 1-It gives more time to prepare for students.

I'm not thrilled about an extended school year. My kids go to an "A" rated school. Why should they be punished for the failing schools? We also take our family vacations during this time. Make low performing schools stay longer, but not high performing.

I do not want HISD to become a DOI-larger class sizes, crappy curriculum, and noncertified personnel teaching does not interest me. I think you will have parents with the means send their kids to private schools if things continue this way.

I am opposed to getting the DOI certification.

As teachers, we are already undercompensated for what we do in the classrooms, I am adamantly opposed to having an extended school year unless our salaries are adequately increased for teaching extra days.

Preservice was a joke this school year, we wasted time going to a venue that was overcrowded and chaotic with no real professional development. The information that we received could have been disseminated in a shorter period, (I would say 2 to 3 days tops) so having a shorter preservice with maybe 2 days to get classroom-ready would be ideal.

I do not think, an increased year would benefit our students in any shape or form. As we get closer to summer break, students stop caring and get so detached to being in school, that it would make absolutely no sense to shorten their summer break.

The new HISD leadership is imposing so many changes that are senseless already, I am absolutely not comfortable with them having DOI powers. NO TO DOI.

Reduce preservice from 2 weeks to 1 week to offset added school days or If number of school days extend then there should be salary compensation for all the employees. Not comfortable granting all the DOI powers to HISD leadership. Include some employees from schools such as teachers.

I do NOT feel comfortable with HISD leadership having any additional power. It is not only feasible, but reasonable to reduce preservice from 2 weeks to 1 week to offset added school days. However, that week of preservice should be CAMPUS-BASED and focused on grade-level/content planning. I am very concerned about adding additional days to the teacher contract. Doing so would require a significant salary increase.

Unless we’re receiving an extra $1,000 each check I dont agree with any of this and I guarantee you will loose more teachers and students won’t even have the opportunity to learn how they should because the teachers that have been in THIS district for years will relocate.

I would only be okay with extended if it was allowing us to start earlier and end before June. I feel like the salary increased still doesn't impact the fact that several schools are already working more hours than they are contracted for and adding more days will add more hours as well. The pay has to be equal to the work put in. It's feasible to reduce work week other districts do it in one week, but a lot of pointless mandatory days need to be taken out and teachers will still need a day for their rooms. Beginning earlier would help, but not staying any longer. We have too much time after STAAR where are kids are restless and beyond burnt out. I'm not comfortable with the powers of HISD Leadership currently and would not be comfortable giving them more power.

I am opposed to extending the school year and an increase would not change my mind. I agree to reduced pre service. I’m not at all comfortable with granting all DOI powers to HISD leadership.

Extended school year should be considered next year, not in same year. Causes chaos. I want my time back. If more money means more stress, I don’t want it. Provide more classroom prep and send everything else as an email or zoom. I don’t think longer school year benefits. If a student/parent mindset does not change about education, then teachers are working tirelessly with no improved results. I don’t want leadership to have all the power. It needs to remain a collaborative effort between community and leadership.

I am NOT comfortable granting all the DOI powers to HISD leadership. I do not want an extended school year even with an increase in salary.

I will not stay if asked to participate in an extended school year. I am a veteran teacher with 18 years experience that I can and will take elsewhere.

I feel betrayed by this district. I had hoped to finish my teaching career here, and even bought a house in the area to create a stable situation.

I think the quality of instruction suffered greatly this year because our entire preservice time was spent in training. We had not time in our room, no time for planning, and we had to welcome students back with minimal preparation time.

I think the break is good, necessary, and healthy. I think the focus should be more on time spent wisely in the regular instructional year. Summer school for students who need it has the advantage of smaller group instruction and more personalized attention for the student. Extending the school year will take that away. I think students who need help, are not more likely to get it in large classes in a longer school year. It would be to their advantage to be offered tutoring outside of the school setting where they can get the one-to-one help that needed.

No. I'm not comfortable with any absolute power. I believe in democratic process, community input, and community effort toward improvement.

I also don't believe this system is sincerely designed to be successful. I believe that this entire situation was created to undermine the largest public school district in Texas in the hopes of creating a de facto argument for charter school systems.

I feel like a prisoner of, not a participant in, this process.

1. I am not sure how I feel about DOI. I feel that Miles needs to give this year a chance and see how his new strategies pan out before making a decision like that. There are already too many changes, making it harder to factor out what really worked and what didn't.
2. I think extended teacher work year will not benefit anyone. If anything, I think it should be optional for those that want that extra pay. Not all students need extra days in school. So maybe more of an extended summer school for those students that are in need of extra interventions. But it should not be forced across the board.
3. The main thing that is beneficial for teachers during preservice is setting up classrooms, planning with teams, lesson planning, organizing classrooms, and learning about their new curriculum. One week should be PD and the other week should be what I mentioned above. A teachers main concern is getting their classroom and plans ready.
4. I do not feel students will benefit from extra days of instruction. What we could do is maximize the days we already have. For example, there are usually 2 weeks left after the staar test that honestly just drag out and are a waste of time. Students are so drained by the end of the year with the staar test and prepping that they are done. Plus they know the test is over....now what? We could maximize instruction by moving the tests until the end of the school year. For example, if the staar tests end June 1, then the last day of school should be like June 2 or 3rd. Not a whole 2 weeks after.
5. I am not comfortable granting all decisions for DOI to the current leadership. I think teachers are the ones that actually know more about what is best because we are in the classrooms every day. Community members and parents should also be a part of the decisions because their children's best interest is at stake.

No, I left my charter school for HISD because I felt I had a voice as a teacher with this district. I no longer feel that and will leave the district with this change and many other Mike Miles is implementing.

While I do not support an extended school year during 2023-2024, I don't see a problem with it, per se, if it is understood ahead of signing a contract and compensation is increased accordingly.

When we tried only 1 week preservice before, I did not feel like it was enough time to complete all of the district required items, let alone campus required ones. As it is, we don't have enough time to check all the boxes AND get rooms ready AND do all of those online trainings AND collaborate with our teams effectively.

I actually support the idea of year round school, precisely for the benefit of our students. I have seen it work beautifully to have a consolidated quarter, an extended break, another quarter, another break, and so on.

Current HISD leadership isn't doing a very good job of building trust with faculty and staff. As such, I don't want to see anything done that gives them broader powers without some kinds of checks and balances - union involvement, etc.

I think it all boils down to trust and Miles has not built that at this time. His plans so far seem reckless and non-student centered

I believe we should not extreme the teacher or student school year. Giving that time for breaks is not only time for the students to relax and give themselves a break to avoid burnout, but this is a need for teachers as well. Just with the normal amount of school days we have now we see an incredible amount of teachers leaving for burnout, so why would we make the year longer? Pre service should remain the same amount of time, many teachers were rushed this year putting together their classrooms and planning out new curriculum and getting the first weeks of prep ready to go because of an excessive amount of time taken by PD and other required meetings. This is adding stress on the teachers before the school year even starts! I do not feel comfortable giving the DOI powers to HISD leadership, as us teachers and people in the community would not be able to voice our opinions. As a history teacher, I can easily support the idea of power to the people as that is who our schools are for. Not the people that have money and already work year round and may or may not have been in a classroom setting constantly seeing struggles of teaching and the students environment and culture of learning.

The school year should not be extended! Increase in pay will not change my stance on that.

I would need more information about how long the work year would be and the reason why leadership would want a proposed lengthened school year. As I am consistently required as a teacher to adhere to "best practices," I also expect leadership to do the same.

An increased salary that has absolutely nothing to do with the NES system which requires me to do work for free in order to possibly have the chance at an increased salary is something I would be interested in if I am paid what I'm worth and not just according to inflation.

I am not comfortable giving all DOI powers to HISD leadership. We function best on a system of checks and balances.

I am completely opposed to becoming a DOI. I saw the proposed calendar that showed teachers returning on July 29. An increased salary would make zero difference. Our summer time is how we recharge and prepare ourselves to be effective educators. And judging by the way this year is going, those of us who stick around are going to need all the recharging and family time we can get before returning. I come from a family with teachers in three different states, and I have never heard of a school district that requires teachers to return 2 weeks before students. We had one week for the 2021-22 school year, and I would rather do that again and have that second week added to summer break.

While I am not opposed to students having more instructional days, it should not come at the expense of a shorter summer break. I think a shortened summer would be a detriment to our students as well. We can take that week of teacher prep days and turn them into instructional days. Many teacher PD sessions could be done virtually to save time and money. I would also proposed shortening our school days if the number of instructional days increases. As I understand it, Texas requires1260 instructional hours, not a minimum number of days. If we increase our days to 180, then our school days need to be shortened to 7 hours (including intermissions and recess), which would be 8:00-3:00 instead of 7:30-3:00/8:30-4:00. We have some of the longest school days in the country. In comparison, Florida requires 180 hours but only 900 hours for 4-12 grades.

This administration absolutely should not be giving any more unchecked power than it already has. In addition to an extended school year, we do not need to put ourselves in a position to take on increased class sizes, more uncertified teachers, and longer school days.

I don’t agree with adding an extra 10 days of school. It would not benefit students or staff.

I am against an extended school year regardless of increased pay. I do feel that 2 weeks of in-service is unnecessary. 1 week of in-service is more that enough. Shortening summer break would not benefit students in any way. I am absolutely against and highly uncomfortable granting DOI powers to HISD leadership.

If they decide to extend the school year, we DO need an increased pay. On the other hand, I do not see any change in this benefiting the kids. Also, it’s late notice to change our calendar! We already booked things for Christmas and June. Therefore teachers will probably not make it for those extended days. Families as well. The two weeks of I service this past year was a WASTE. NRG taught us nothing. The session at kingdom builders was a waste. Amplify is the worst. I feel like a robot. Nevermind our small groups and guided reading, let’s replace it with a curriculum that makes no sense at all. These changes make me want to quit.

Absolutely Not!!! The current administration cannot be trusted with anything.

Extended school year with more break and more pay would be okay. I think 2 weeks of pre service is ridiculous and unnecessary for returning teachers. HISD should not be a DOI.

I do not agree on an extended school year- the children and families need this time. In creased pay will not affect my stand on this. I am not comfortable granting the DOI to HISD leadership. Teacher voices are not being heard,

I’m no to comfortable with DOI, I feel like it will not be beneficial for each ISD students, nor staff members. I do not feel an extended school would benefit teachers, because that is our time where we are able to prepare for the upcoming school year. Not too sure if if salary would affect my thoughts into it depends on how much it increases per hour and also with our work week be shortened to four days with one day prep? I don’t think it’s feasible is our pre-service week from two weeks to one week. That is not enough time to get our pedes districtwide campus and prep for students. I don’t think an increased year effect due to the fact that we do not get parental support. Once our students go home, students are not getting home education, nor support from their parents due to social economic disadvantage across our district I am not all the to HISD leader ship.

I really don’t care for the way the district is being run thus far. Regardless of pay increase I wouldn’t want the year extended. No, I think the training is needed, just better training especially for new programs we are supposed to be implementing. I don’t believe increasing the year would benefit the student, maybe same days spreading vacation like a year round school may benefit students better. It’s too early to say if all the power should be given back to HISD, but if it keeps going the way it is now probably so

I do not believe an extended school year will be beneficial for our students. Teachers are currently experiencing burn out now in the second week of school as if it were the last weeks of school. The stress and pressure is making staff seek other options and districts. Even with increased pay for the extended year, it would not be beneficial to the mental health of staff and students. Students need time to spend with their families. We have a multitude of students that travel to visit family during the summer shortening their summer could potentially affect attendance rates. In general as educators we should have an increased salary overall. Our pay is not reflective of the current cost of living and many of us are having to make important decisions regarding our health and financial stability due to low pay. We are not paid for our pursuit of higher education and degrees even as this is beneficial to schools and students. Teachers need time to prepare their classroom. Unfortunately, this school year we pulled away from our campuses for inservice that resulted in crowded hallways, a fire department visit, and fighting. This is unacceptable and was not beneficial as we were all expected to attend various sessions to ensure our attendance. Furthermore, many individuals left and were able to sign in as if they were there due to shared links of attendance. I would recommend an inservice that is campus based and allows for teachers to prepare their classrooms and curriculum along with campus and district school expectations provide by the campus. We also have technology! Why not provide online sessions in the form of seminars to allow staff to attend pre service courses on campus. I DO NOT agree with the DOI having full control. We need a system of checks and balances to ensure the true needs of students and educators are addressed and NOT assumed needs based on an examination of select schools. Different areas and neighborhoods require different approaches and different solutions as a result. Change is never easy but having our voices shut out of the conversation is detrimental and will result in droves of staff leaving. I can already see a campus once nice full of joy, learning and student academic acceleration being diminished to staff working themselves to their wits end. I further observed this before students returned and now that students have returned this feeling of burnout has increased. At some point staff will realize that their health and well being will be more important than just being there for the kids. We are at risk of losing great educators to others districts and other occupations. I do predict a leave of over 80% of our staff by Spring Break if not sooner.

Pre-Service should be 3 Weeks with 1 real teacher-only work week to give us time to prepare our classrooms... so we need more teacher work days for us to plan the beginning and set up our rooms without having to deal with out time being taken up to actually plan/work. Increased salary would definitely be necessary if days were increased. I'm not working extra summer school days for free.