Houston Independent School District (HISD) will kick off the upcoming school year on Monday with a few dozen teacher vacancies, a significant improvement from the thousands of openings reported at the start of the summer, according to district leaders.
To address the 47 unfilled positions, including 12 special education roles, the district has hired uncertified teachers. Approximately 850 uncertified teachers were brought on board this year, according to Superintendent Mike Miles. These individuals are required to enroll in a certification program over the next two years, many of whom transitioned from teacher apprenticeships to full-time classroom positions.
Miles noted that when the previous school year ended, HISD faced over 10,000 vacancies. Despite holding multiple job fairs throughout the summer, the district struggled to fill specialized certified positions such as ROTC and career and technical education roles. Miles also mentioned that some applicants at the job fairs either did not meet the district’s standards or lacked the appropriate background.
It remains unclear how many of the remaining vacancies are the result of job eliminations from the previous year.
