Non-profits at HISD: District approves plan that will turn over control of top-performing schools to non-profit organizations

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Houston Independent School District approved a measure to allow certain high schools to operate more independently from district leadership.

The video above is from a previous report.

In a board meeting on Thursday, board members approved the measure to increase autonomy for Kinder HSPVA, Challenge Early High School, Energy Institute High School, and Houston Academy for International Studies.

Superintendent Mike Miles previously said that the partnerships will mean more funding and opportunities for schools.

However, some people worried that handing control to private groups might widen the gap between high- and low-performing schools and let schools run without important oversight.

According to the Texas Education Agency, there are currently 95 schools in the state that operate under this type of partnership. According to HISD, approved schools generally receive an additional $700-$1,500 in state funding per student each year.

“These schools have all had four years in a row of an A rating, and I think we can trust them,” Superintendent Miles previously said.

The nonprofits involved are already connected to the schools.

HISD said HSPVA will be run by a nonprofit called HSPVA Friends, which has been active since 1978. The group has a board of directors and paid staff and, through donations, funds specialty teachers, equipment, and scholarships at the school.

With the approval of the new measure, the board at HSPVA Friends will manage school staff and curriculum.

The district said it will still track the performance of these schools, but if things go well, Superintendent Miles said the district will take a full hands-off approach.

This measure was made possible by Senate Bill 1882, enacted by lawmakers in 2017. It was aimed at allowing outside non-profits to handle staffing and curriculum at designated schools.

“Senate Bill 1882 was actually put in place many years ago, before you had the voucher system or other pieces of expansion of choice programs. It really has been in place to promote innovation,” said Dr. Duncan Klussmann, a former superintendent, now education professor at the University of Houston.

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