Houston ISD’s 10,000 teachers will return to their classrooms next Thursday. They won’t learn their salaries until the next day.
The notification process is part of a new performance-based compensation system that district leaders have said would boost salaries for teachers who received high evaluation scores during the 2025-26 school year.
“We appreciate your patience and understanding,” the district said in a letter to teachers this week, explaining that while they would be expected to report to work on July 30th, they wouldn’t learn their salaries until July 31st. “Thank you for everything you do to support Houston ISD students.”
Houston ISD did not respond to questions from the Houston Chronicle.
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles, who was appointed by the state in June 2023, has implemented sweeping changes in the state’s largest school district, including closing some schools, introducing new curriculum and implementing a new teacher evaluation system.
The Houston Federation of Teachers has opposed the new compensation system, arguing it’s divisive and fails to improve student achievement. Informing teachers of their salaries after they report back to work shows “the incompetence and lack of empathy for the employee by the employer,” said Jackie Anderson, president of the union, in a statement.
Under the new system, HISD teachers could earn between $70,000 and $101,000 based on their performance rating, as well as what and where they teach. Teacher salary increases are capped at $6,000.
Claire Partain contributed to this article.