HOUSTON – Throughout May, there have been several protests at various Houston Independent School District schools.
Meyerland Middle School, Crockett Elementary School, and Herod Elementary School each saw demonstrators on campus. In each incident, parents said they were against the district giving school principals ultimatums: resign or be fired.
Each principal was apparently given a resignation agreement to sign. Herod Elementary’s principal, Jessica Berry, shared a copy of the agreement with KPRC 2.
The agreement states, that if she signed it, the resignation would be effective June 7, 2024, and she would be given three months’ salary severance. However, if Berry signed, she could never work for the district again or sue the district.
Berry did not sign the agreement. She’s sharing her story for the first time since being given the ultimatum.
“I really had to think about ‘what am I going to do if I choose to speak up?’ Because this can mean that everything I’ve worked for my entire life, that I have thrown away my entire career,” Berry said.
Berry was chosen to be Herod’s principal in February of 2022.
She shared with KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun two memorandums for strikes against her. The subject line for one is ‘missed deadlines and failure to follow directives.’ Then other states ‘implementation of corrective action plan pursuant to TEA complaint.’
An HISD spokesperson said principals were asked to resign because they didn’t meet the mark.
“When making decisions about school leaders, the first – and in some ways, most critical – piece of data HISD evaluates is the quality of a school. In most cases, if a school has an A or B rating, that is a strong indication that the principal is creating the kind of learning environment students need,” the statement said. “When a school is rated C or lower, it often means the school is not serving students well on a consistent basis. And where campuses are not meeting the needs of all kids, HISD must examine what is happening at the school. That starts with the school’s leadership.”
It’s something Berry said she agrees with but doesn’t think the district is looking at the whole picture beyond STAAR testing scores.
“But I also think we need to think about what’s happening in the education system in Texas in general,” Berry said. “We have to take into account COVID.”
“Why are you speaking with us?” Balogun asked.
“Because of the state takeover that has happened in HISD. I was one of several principals who were. It was requested that we resign,” she said.
Berry said she knows of four other principals in a similar situation.
“I know that they all are either put in retirement or resigned,” she said.
Berry and more than 100 other principals were purportedly on an apparent list by district leaders which many interpreted as threats that if they didn’t improve, they could lose their jobs.
Superintendent Mike Miles tried to set the record straight, saying the district does not plan to fire more than 100 principals.
The district previously said that based on performance reviews, 125 principals have demonstrated the leadership qualities necessary to keep their jobs for the next school year.
At the same time, 117 others, which is nearly half of all HISD principals, were told to show significant improvement to keep their jobs next year.
Berry recalls the meeting when she was told she needed to improve.
“In that meeting, I really had no impression that I felt like, ‘Oh, I’m going to lose my job,’ Berry recalled. “That was not how I felt leaving that meeting. It was very much presented as, ‘Hey, some people have met this criteria at this point. The rest of we’re still working. We’re still growing there.’”
She now believes the list played a role in potential dismissal.
“I know very specifically two other principals that I was sitting with in that meeting, also said something to the similar sentiments of my own, and both of them signed the resignations,” she said.
Berry is currently still employed in the district, but she expects retaliation for speaking with us.
“I think I will be told that I am not to be campus,” Berry said. “I really think that there is a chance that I really have just ended my career in public education but at the end of the day these kids not Herod kids, but every kid in Houston deserves an education and deserves somebody who’s going to stand up for them.”
In an emailed response, Houston ISD issued the following statement:
“To become a district that serves all students well, HISD must use data and on-the-job observation to staff every school with a leader who will ensure consistent, high-quality instruction at their campus.
“When making decisions about school leaders, the first – and in some ways, most critical – piece of data HISD evaluates is the quality of a school. In most cases, if a school has an A or B rating, that is a strong indication that the principal is creating the kind of learning environment students need. When a school is rated C or lower, it often means the school is not serving students well on a consistent basis. And where campuses are not meeting the needs of all kids, HISD must examine what is happening at the school. That starts with the school’s leadership.
“HISD, like all other districts, is making decisions about staffing for the 2024-2025 school year. All contract non-renewals for principals are unrelated to HISD’s overall budget challenges. Instead, these contract decisions are being made – again – with the goal of ensuring every student receives high-quality instruction, every day. In some cases, we hope principals who do not retain their current position for next school year will apply for assistant principal or other roles within HISD that will help the educator grow their instructional leadership.
“The district understands that leadership transitions are disruptive for the impacted school communities, and that the principal is often the most visible and accessible person on a campus. Division leaders will work with every impacted campus to identify each community’s priorities for their next school leader. That process will involve surveys, community meetings, and opportunities over the summer to meet with incoming principals.
“In all cases, we are asking our principals to finish the school year strong. HISD students need and deserve a full year of high-quality instruction in supportive, productive school environments.
“With regard to teachers, the District did not cut teaching positions as part of its work to right-size the HISD budget. In our non-NES schools, most decisions to retain or release a teacher are made by the principal and are based on data and classroom evaluation. Campuses that saw enrollment declines may have had to adjust their staffing for next school year, but – again – teaching positions were not cut in the HISD budget.
“At the District’s 85 NES and NES-aligned campuses, principals used data to determine which teachers are eligible to continue working in the NES and will be retained in their current positions based on the school’s projected enrollment. Employees who are not eligible to continue working in the NES but meet the requirements for non-NES positions in HISD are encouraged to apply for those available roles.”