Colleen DeGuzman/Houston Public Media
Houston ISD’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.
The Houston ISD state-appointed board of managers voted Thursday night to delay new state requirements that would have banned uncertified educators from teaching core subjects, including English language arts and reading, math, science and social studies, in public schools by the 2027-2028 school year.
Last summer, the Texas legislature passed House Bill two, which put limitations on uncertified teachers in core classrooms. Specifically, it requires reading and math teachers for kindergarten through fifth grade to be certified by this fall, and by the next school year, districts can’t have any uncertified teachers for English, math, science and social studies across any grade level.
A recent study from the University of Houston reported uncertified teachers make up nearly 20% of the teacher workforce in Houston ISD. Uncertified teachers made up just .3% of teachers in the district seven years ago.
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Toni Templeton, one of the report’s authors, says the spike in uncertified teachers accelerated under the state takeover.
“Right before the takeover, Houston ISD had about 100 uncertified teachers district-wide, and in the first year of the takeover, that number increased tenfold to a little over 1,000 district-wide, and in the second year of the takeover, that number doubled,” Templeton said. “So, that increase is signaling to us that the district is really working with a much less certified and less experienced teaching population.”
For now, HISD is free to continue hiring and using uncertified teachers until the 2029-2030 school year. That’s because the board voted to become a district of innovation just six months into the state takeover back in 2023, which allows the district to submit exemptions from state requirements to the Texas Education Commissioner. The agency does not have the authority to approve or disapprove of a district’s submitted plan.
Uncertified teachers are those who have not completed an educator preparation program or passed a state certification exam, but many have a background in the subject they are teaching.
Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers and vocal critic of the state takeover of Houston ISD, said that’s not enough.
“I know how to cook, but I can’t teach cooking,” Anderson said. “It’s more than just spewing out content. It’s more than just telling people what information is. You have to be able to connect with the child.
The district cited “statewide shortages of certified teachers and increased certification requirements” as part of its rationale for the delay. They say they will provide more support for uncertified teachers and expand partnerships with Educator Preparation Programs, and commit to having zero uncertified teachers in core subject areas by the 2029-2030 school year.