HISD says nearly all teacher positions are filled ahead of the new school year, but some Houston parents still question transparency and qualifications.
As Houston ISD gears up to welcome students back next Tuesday, the district is making a final push to ensure classrooms are fully staffed — but questions remain from parents about teacher qualifications and transparency.
According to HISD’s Deputy Chief of Human Resources, Norma Castillo, the district hired 1,100 teachers over the summer, leaving just 55 vacancies across 274 schools as of late July. That’s despite the 2,400 teachers who left the district last year.
To meet staffing goals, the district hosted more than a dozen campus hiring events this year — including one over the summer — aimed at recruiting new educators.
One of those hires, teacher Tammy Huerta, returned to the district despite challenges she faced under the New Education System (NES).
“I’ve only worked with NES. The new education system. It is pretty nerve racking,” Huerta said. “You never know when they’ll come to the class. They’ll sneak in, pop in two, three times a week.”
Huerta is referring to how district leaders randomly observe classroom instruction — part of a broader oversight effort in the new system.
Parents raise concerns about staffing
While HISD says staffing is on track, some parents still have doubts about how transparent the district is being about teacher vacancies.
“Any parent can reach out to their campus principal to ask what the vacancies are at their campus,” Castillo said.
But HISD parent Camille Breaux, who has two elementary school children, questions whether that information would be accurate.
“I didn’t feel that they needed to or really could communicate with parents,” Breaux said. “So I really don’t feel confident that if I were to call and speak to a principal, that they would give me the truth about, you know, how many unfilled positions or who was certified and who wasn’t.”
Back in the spring, the district notified 406 uncertified teachers they would not be returning for the new school year. But Breaux believes more emphasis should be placed on retaining experienced teachers, not just hiring new ones.
“We have teachers coming in that are uncertified, which is already an issue because they don’t have classroom management skills, which can be a big issue,” she said. “We also have lots of students with accommodations. My son has accommodations.”
New pay-for-performance plan in place
To improve recruitment and retention, HISD is rolling out a new pay-for-performance incentive plan for the 2026–2027 school year, designed to create a pathway to six-figure salaries.
“To kick off our pay-for-performance plan, which is a plan that creates a pathway for teachers to earn a six-figure salary,” Castillo explained. “So this year’s teacher effectiveness level will have a direct impact on their 26–27 compensation.”
While staffing for most core subjects is nearly complete, Career and Technical Education (CTE) roles remain more difficult to fill, according to HISD leadership. The district says it is actively working to identify strong candidates for those positions before school starts.