Houston ISD board votes to fire longtime teacher following Facebook comment
The Houston ISD Board of Managers has voted unanimously to terminate a longtime Mandarin Immersion Magnet School teacher, rejecting an independent hearing examiner’s recommendation that her contract be renewed. FOX 26’s Sherman Desselle attended the hearing and spoke to the now-former teacher and her attorney.
Houston – The state-appointed Houston ISD Board of Managers has voted unanimously to terminate a longtime Mandarin Immersion Magnet School teacher, rejecting an independent hearing examiner’s recommendation that her contract be renewed.
The backstory
The decision ends the employment of Jamie Russo, a first-grade English teacher with nearly 40 years of experience, who had been on administrative leave since the start of the school year. Russo was informed last year that the district intended not to renew her contract, prompting a formal challenge that led to the hearing.
Houston ISD teacher fights for job following Facebook comment
A longtime Houston ISD teacher will be speaking at a hearing on Thursday after her critical Facebook comment allegedly put her job in jeopardy. FOX 26’s Sherman Desselle explains the teacher’s case and spoke exclusively to the teacher herself.
Dig deeper:
In June 2024, under a Houston Chronicle Op-Ed article posted on Facebook, Russo posted a comment in response to public criticism of Superintendent Mike Miles and the district’s decision to close school libraries. “I am staying, too — hopefully to watch this dictatorship fall,” she wrote.Â
The district later described the comment as “critical” of HISD leadership. Russo was informed in May that her contract would not be renewed.Â
District officials cited six grounds for non-renewal, including failure to comply with board policies, concerns about classroom observations, and alleged deficiencies in her instructional practices.
MORE: Houston ISD teacher fights potential termination after ‘dictatorship’ comment
Thursday’s hearing
What we know:
During public comment of Thursday’s hearing, a dozen elementary school students and their parents spoke in support of Russo, saying that the teacher put the children’s needs above her own and made the children feel supported in the classroom.Â
During that proceeding, attorney Ellen H. Spalding, representing HISD, argued that Russo violated district policy and failed to meet instructional expectations outlined in her mid-year and end-of-year evaluations. Spalding said Russo admitted she did not consistently use the required Multiple Response Strategies — a key component of the district’s instructional model — and sent an email through the HISD system to parents criticizing Superintendent Mike Miles and district practices. Spalding called the email “destructive to the culture of HISD” and said it undermined campus leadership.
Russo’s attorney, Chris Tritico, pushed back, arguing that every student in her class showed academic growth and that the district selectively interpreted observation documents. He said Russo was being punished for speaking publicly about district leadership, including comments posted to the Houston Chronicle website.Â
Tritico also criticized HISD’s “spot” evaluations as arbitrary and said Russo’s instructional decisions — such as giving students brief “brain breaks” — were developmentally appropriate.
The hearing examiner previously found that Russo should remain in the classroom and that her email was protected under the First Amendment. However, Spalding said the case centered on policy compliance and instructional performance, not her public statements.Â
After a brief discussion in closed session on Thursday, the Board of Managers voted to overturn the examiner’s recommendation and proceed with non-renewal, effectively terminating Russo’s employment.
Despite board member Lauren Gore praising the overall student growth in Russo’s classroom during the hearing, he and fellow board members Michelle Cruz Arnold and Ric Campo voted unanimously not to renew her contract. Spalding argued the district must hold all teachers to the same instructional standards, and said allowing exceptions would undermine its academic framework.
What happens now?
What’s next:
Russo and her attorney plan on filing an appeal and hoping to address the matter with the Texas Education Agency.Â
FOX 26 has yet to hear back from the district on this case since our request was made Wednesday.Â
The Source: FOX 26 attended Thursday’s board meeting, gathered information from hearing proceedings and spoke to Jamie Russo and her attorney.