Lynn Walsh

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD elementary school for kids with disciplinary problems spends as much to educate each child as it would cost to pay 3 years’ tuition at Harvard Medical School, records show
Monday, Nov 22, 2010, 09:50AM CST
By Lynn Walsh

A tiny Houston elementary school for kids with severe disciplinary problems spends as much to educate each child as it would cost to pay three years’ tuition at Harvard Medical School, Houston Independent School District data shows.

North Alternative Elementary School is housed in the old Chatham Elementary campus in the Trinity/Houston Gardens neighborhood northeast of the 610 Loop. The school’s website describes it as a K-6 program that may, in “special situations,” take in 7th and 8th graders, though HISD’s main website says it is K-5.

It is expected to spend, on average, $147,403 educating each student this year — making it the most expensive school in HISD, based on per-student funding. The school has just four students this year, HISD data shows.

The per-child cost at North Alternative is seven times that of the H.P. Carter Career Center, which HISD trustees voted earlier this month to re-purpose because of declining enrollment and cost of the school. The career center was expected to spend an average of $20,356 on each of its 132 students this year.

North Alternative’s website says it educates students from across HISD’s north region who have committed the most serious disciplinary infractions, violating rules in levels four and five of the HISD student code of conduct. Those can include include assaulting a teacher or bringing guns, knives or drugs to school, committing a felony on campus, or sexual misconduct.

“We have a mandate to focus on student behavior,” its website says. “We do this using positive behavior modification, counseling, diagnostic services, and by fostering a sense of community within the school. We have full programs in both Special Education and Bilingual Education as well as General Education.”

The official school affirmation begins with “Today begins the rest of my life,” and includes the phrase “If I do something wrong, I will accept responsibility for my actions.”

Students at North Alternative are required to wear uniforms, and the school provides all of their school supplies. They are not allowed to bring backpacks, iPods or media players to school and are not allowed to have more than $5 with them.

North Alternative had 10 staff members last year, according to an HISD salary database, who were paid a total of more than $468,000. They include a three-person special education staff and a bilingual teacher, according to the school Web site.

Alternative schools must often provide their students with the services of counselors, psychologists and other staff with special skills or training, which drives up those schools’ per-student expenses. Of the five HISD schools expected to spend the most per child this year, four of them are alternative or nontraditional programs of some kind, including North Alternative, Harper Alternative, the HCC Life Skills program and the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program.

North Alternative Principal Michael Bledsoe, who previously was principal at E.O. Smith Education Center, declined to speak with Texas Watchdog. An HISD spokesman said he could not find “anyone who is willing to do an interview” regarding the costs associated with alternative education.

Contact Lynn Walsh at (713) 228-2850 by email at Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Principals at struggling HISD schools may get bonuses of up to $30,000 in incentive-pay plan
Wednesday, Nov 10, 2010, 07:09PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

Principals at some of Houston’s most academically challenged schools may see $30,000 bonuses this school year if trustees approve an incentive-pay model Thursday — one for which the principals helped create the metrics.

The Houston Independent School District principals helm four high schools and five middle schools that are part of the $29.5 million Apollo 20 academic turn-around program launched this school year. The goal of the program is to improve student performance through a lengthened school year, longer school days and tutoring services.

Leading the drive toward academic success are nine principals who, according to HISD, were heavily recruited to bring academic excellence to Lee, Kashmere, Sharpstown and Jones high schools, as well as Fondren, Key, Ryan, Attucks and Dowling middle schools, which make up the first round of the Apollo 20 program. Eleven elementary schools are slated to enter the program next school year.

On top of receiving sign-on bonuses that cost the district more than $49,000 this year, Apollo 20 principals could receive an additional $30,000 at a high school and $20,000 at a middle school if trustees approve the bonus-pay model at the November school board meeting.

HISD Trustee Manuel Rodriguez said he is not sure this is the right time to be “handing out” bonuses. “Not all HISD employees received raises this year, and with the current budget, they may not receive them next year. I am not sure this is the time to be handing out bonuses to principals,” Rodriguez said.

Trustee Harvin Moore disagreed. “We are not handing out bonuses. These principals will be earning them,” Moore said.

On top of this, the principals — as all principals — can earn up to $15,530 a year in bonuses through the district-wide performance pay program, ASPIRE.

According to the agenda for Thursday’s meeting (see item E-4), principals would receive the bonus by meeting a combination of targets related to student attendance, student achievement and graduation, dropout or grade completion rates — all of which were determined through input from the nine principals and using testing and attendance data from previous years.

A detailed description of the incentive pay model can be viewed here.

The maximum total cost of the incentive program if approved would be $239,000 and would be funded through federal money and private grants, according to HISD.

Parent Visionaries, a group of parent leaders representing schools throughout the Houston district, is concerned general funds — the school system’s main checking account — will be used if the district does not raise the $6 million in private funding it still needs for the Apollo 20 program.

According to an e-mail from Michel Pola, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier’s chief of staff, that is not the case.

“General fund is not being used to fund the incentives. The three sources being used are state transformation grants, schools’ per pupil title II allocations (Title II is federal entitlement money for recruitment, retention, and performance); third source is private funds…The HISD foundation is aggressively raising funds for the Apollo program. There are funds set aside for the Apollo program; however, we anticipate raising sufficient private funds.”

The November HISD board of education meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Hattie Mae White building in Houston. Follow @TexasWatchdog on Twitter for live updates during the meeting.

For a complete look at the most recent Apollo 20 budget, click here.

Questions about this story or other education news can be sent to Lynn Walsh, Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org, 713-228-2850, or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Former Yates High Principal Ronald Mumphery accused of sexual harassment, HISD records show
Friday, Nov 05, 2010, 08:44PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

A former principal of one of Houston’s largest public high schools is currently under investigation for multiple allegations of sexual misconduct with former employees and a former student, records show.

The allegations against Ronald Mumphery, former prinicipal of Yates High School, date back to the early 1980’s and include allegations of staff members exchanging sexual favors for preferential treatment and overtime pay from the principal and allegations that Mumphery grabbed and sexually touched a 17-year-old cheerleader and student back in 1984.

Multiple witnesses and alleged victims’ testimonies are outlined in a Houston Independent School District investigation report made public to Texas Watchdog Friday. The district reassigned Mumphery in late September, saying publicly only that Mumphery had been accused of unspecified “professional misconduct,” without elaborating. He filed paperwork with the school system a few days later to retire.

A 30-year veteran of the Houston schools, Mumphery, reached by telephone Friday afternoon, said the accusations were news to him. “I don’t know anything about that and nothing like that ever happened,” he said, but said he does have a lawyer.

The news in September that Mumphery had been reassigned made headlines across the city. He had taken the helm in 2008 at Yates, one of the city’s most historic schools, and one whose history is closely intertwined with that of the surrounding Third Ward.

Mumphery has previously served as principal at Houston’s Cullen Middle School and an assistant principal at Jones High. He earned more than $109,000 last year, according to an HISD salary database.

The allegations came to light, records show, after Houston school Superintendent Terry Grier received an anonymous letter in mid-September alleging sexual misconduct by the former principal.

HISD investigators then reached out to numerous former students and employees of Mumphery, including a current HISD employee who said she was accosted by Mumphrey when she was a student of his 16 years ago.

The women told investigators she was a cheerleader at Yates at the time, and the report says Mumphrey was a teacher and coach there.

In the report, the former cheerleader said Mumphery called her into his office after school one day.She said she “thought nothing of it” because Mumphery was her coach, and she worked as an office worker so “she trusted Mr. Mumphery.”

In an interview with the school district, the former cheerleader detailed the incident that occurred back in 1984:

“She alleged that as soon as she came in the room he started talking sexually to her. She said she was shocked and about to leave when he grabbed her arm, pulled her to him and stuck his tongue in her ear.”

The former cheerleader said she immediately ran out of his office to the principal at the time, Osby Mitchell. According to the report, Mumphery allegedly ran after the young woman, telling her to stop, but she kept running.

“Someone is out to smear me, I have never heard of that report, and I have never heard those allegations,” Mumphery said in an interview with Texas Watchdog Friday afternoon.

He said he is not sure why someone is out to smear him: “I can’t answer that and I really don’t want to talk anymore and I don’t know anything about it. Wow.”

The former cheerleader told school authorities she told Mitchell what had happened and asked him to call her parents; the young woman said her parents were “very upset,” but said she as unsure whether Mumphery was punished by the school system over her accusations.

“She stated she does not know exactly what Mr. Mitchell did to Mr. Mumphery but she thinks her father confronted Mr. Mumphery and told him to leave her alone because he never approached her again.”

There was no mention of the former cheerleader’s allegations in Mumphery’s personnel file when Texas Watchdog reviewed it recently.

“I don’t know anything about it and have never even heard about it,” Mumphery told Texas Watchdog. “I have no response and don’t know anything about it.”

When asked if the allegations were true, Mumphery said, “I have no comment.”

Even though it happened more than 20 years ago, the woman told HISD “it still haunts her every day.”

HISD investigators also spoke with a former district employee who worked with Mumphery while he was a principal at Cullen Middle. According to the report, the woman said Mumphery “was extremely flirtatious with her but she rebuffed his advances.”

The woman said after she refused Mumphery’s advances she was reassigned to another school because Mumphery “did not want her on his team.”

Other allegations against Mumphery in the report include:

+ A former Yates employee who said she was sexually harassed by Mumphery and was forced to relocate because “she could not take it anymore.”

+ Allegations from a former HISD employee that school workers earned overtime pay for being “good” and attending “late dinners with Mumphery.”

+ A former employee who worked for Mumphery who said, “they had a name for all of us that came from Cullen with him. We were all women you know, they called us ‘Mumphery’s girls.’” When the woman was asked whether she had ever had sex with Mumphery, she said, “I did everything but have sex with that man.”

+ A former employee at Cullen who said she complained about Mumphery’s behavior but was told “they could not do anything to him because it was her word against his since there were no witnesses.”

The internal HISD investigation found some of the interviews with alleged victims and witnesses to be credible, the report shows.

According to the investigation report, HISD found the former cheerleader’s allegations to be “highly credible” and that the woman “had no motive for lying.” Several other interviews in the report were also found to be credible.

Despite finding the interviews with alleged victims and witnesses to be credible, HISD “found no evidence that Mr. Mumphery was currently engaging in inappropriate conduct with students at Yates High School.”

The report continues to say:

“It is more likely than not that Mr. Mumphery established a pattern of engaging in inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature with subordinates … there were two additional complaints by subordinates during his employment at HISD.”

One of the formal complaints against Mumphery was made in October 2000, according to documents obtained by Texas Watchdog through the state public information law.

A teacher at Jones High School, where Mumphery was assistant principal at the time, accused Mumphery of sexual harassment in late September 2000, the document says. The investigation found “no evidence to substantiate” the charges, but the school’s principal at the time asked Mumphery to write a letter of apology to the woman and be careful of his actions around employees in the future.

In the letter of apology, Mumphery said:

“It is always my intent to serve the students and staff at Jones High School in a professional manner and always within the policies of the Houston Independent School District. At no time will you or any other staff member be addressed in an unprofessional manner. I apologize for any embarrassment that you perceived that I have caused you. You will always be addressed in a professional manner.”

The other complaint, which was referenced in the investigation report made public Friday, was described only as being filed in 2003 by someone who witnessed the undescribed event. A copy of this report did not turn up when Texas Watchdog reviewed Mumphery’s personnel file.

The report “confirmed that Mr. Mumphery engaged in unacceptable conduct of a sexual nature with student … when she was 17 and a senior at Yates High School in 1984.”

According to an HISD lawyer, the police department for the school district is currently investigating the allegations against Mumphery.

Contact Lynn Walsh at lynn@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-2850 or on Twitter at @lwalsh.

An story written for Texas Watchdog:

Former Yates High School principal resigned after being accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct, HISD records show
Friday, Nov 05, 2010, 05:07PM CST

By Lynn Walsh

The former principal of Houston’s Yates High School resigned after being accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct with teachers and other Houston school district employees and one former student, some of which date back to the early 1980s, school system records show.

Ronald Mumphery quit his post a few days after his reassignment by the Houston Independent School District in late September, after more allegations against him emerged, according to HISD records released to Texas Watchdog under the state public records law.

It was not clear this afternoon whether Mumphery resigned or retired, as the document uses both terms.

“I have never heard of this. I don’t know anything about that, and nothing like that ever happened,” Mumphery said in an interview with Texas Watchdog this afternoon. “Someone is out to smear me, I have never heard of that report, and I have never heard those allegations.”

Mumphery said he is not sure why someone is out to smear him, adding, “I can’t answer that, and I really don’t want to talk anymore, and I don’t know anything about it. Wow.”

The allegations against him include sexually assaulting a female Yates High School cheerleader who was 17 at the time, and awarding overtime pay and providing preferential treatment to other HISD employees in exchange for sexual favors, according to a report from an internal investigation by the school district.

The report details first-hand accounts from the former Yates cheerleader, other former employees and former students. According to the report, allegations against Mumphery were documented at least twice but no disciplinary action was taken against the principal.

The HISD Police Department is currently investigating the allegations. Mumphery has not been charged with any crime.

When asked if the allegations were true, Mumphery said, “I have no comment.”

Look for more updates on Texas Watchdog later today. See the full report by clicking here.

Contact Lynn Walsh at lynn@texaswatchdog or 614-859-6194 or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for the Radio Television Digital News Association, RTDNA:

Resumes: Is There a Right Way?
Oct 25 2010
By Lynn Walsh, Texas Watchdog

A few weeks ago I was critiquing resumes at the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 conference. While there I critiqued resume after resume and along the way noticed some common mistakes being made. Here they are:

1. Multiple Pages. As a journalist trying to get that first job or if you have only been in the industry a few years this should be a no-brainer. While all of the campus jobs or volunteer organizations are great and should be included, they should not make your resume two pages. One way to show all of the information is by listing all of your positions that may not fit on one page online. Try your LinkedIn profile, a longer version on your website, etc.

2. Don’t bury the lead. Just like a news story, do not wait until the last sentence or bullet point to share the most significant accomplishment you have made in your career so far. Whether it is the order of the jobs you have had or the description you write to go along with one; lead with what is going to get you the job!

3. Chronological order may not always be the best. You were a copy editor at your last job, but you really want to be a reporter. You are applying for a reporting position and have four years of experience as a reporter. The copy editing position is your most recent job the reporting job was a year ago. Which comes first? Most people put jobs, positions, etc. in chronological order, I am not sure that is always best. Lead with what will show the news director or editor that you are most qualified for the job you are applying for. Now, there are times where this may not be the best idea–especially if it has been a long time since you have had the position, but if all of the jobs and positions are fairly recent, I think leading with experience is best.

4. Mailing address. My first question is: how often do you get mail? My second question is: who sends you mail? In the digital age an address may not even be needed, especially if you are sending a cover letter (which will have your address if properly addressed). I also do not think there is any harm in having a mailing address on your resume, just make sure it is up to date and will be for a few months after you send the resume out to prospective employers.

5. Skills. If utilized correctly a skill section can be helpful. The key I believe is placement on the page and what you are listing. If you are applying for a journalism job and are not proficient in Microsoft Office any any of the individual programs you may have a bigger problem on your hands. Lead with what sets you apart from others in your field. Do you know HTML? Flash? Lead with those programs and leave MS Word and Excel for the end of the list.

6. List and use social media accounts. If you have a twitter account you use for journalistic purposes INCLUDE it on your resume and prominently. Do you have a website? It should be one of the first links a potential employer sees. I would leave Facebook and LinkedIn accounts off (due to their lengthy url’s) if the potential employer is viewing it on paper. If you are sending it electronically be sure to include it on the resume, linked to the words “Facebook” and “LinkedIn,” in your e-mail signature or in linked boxes or logos.

7. Do not hide awards. You wrote, produced and/or reported a great story and were recognized for it – make sure that is clearly visible on your resume. Do not hide it in a size eight font under five other bullets of the position description. Lead with it or use a terms like “award-wining producer” or “nationally-recognized investigative journalist.” You could also try making a separate category for awards or setting them apart in a box or to the side.

8. Do not lead with unrecognizable titles, confusing organizations, etc. Names of news stations can be very complex and unrecognizable to someone who has never lived or worked where you have. While the station may be number one in Lincoln, Nebraska a news director on the east coast may have no idea what the call letters or catchy show name mean. Hand your resume to someone who does not know the news industry or someone that is from out of town–if they ask you what the organization or station is, change the name. Don’t use “Dayton’s News Source,” use the call letters or the station affiliation (at least on first reference.)

A few things to always do:

1. Cater your resume for the specific position. It is fine to have one generic resume, but you should never send the generic resume to a potential employer. Each resume should be specific to the job you are applying for: change the skills, rearrange the order of positions, etc.

2. Research who is going to receive your resume, where did they used to work, what seems to be their news style, etc. If a news director is more conservative, be more conservative on your resume and format. If they like to try new news styles and push the limits you may be OK to be a little non-traditional.

3. Always sell your skills and your experience. So what if it was just an internship; if you gained experience make sure that point is clear. You may have made copies of rundowns once a day-but what else did you do? Lead with what you learned and skills you became better using.

In my opinion there is not an absolute “right” way to write a resume and the way you format a resume is not going to be liked by every potential employer, but there are certain things to keep in mind while preparing one, along with certain preparation that should be done beforehand. Make sure it is clear, concise, easy to read and do not lead with your education. Beyond that be positive and sell your skills, experience and yourself. And remember, as journalist we do a lot of writing, this is your future employers first look at your writing abilities, make sure it is editor friendly! (Hitting spell check wouldn’t hurt either…)

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Travel stipend could diminish transparency for Austin-area school district
Friday, Oct 01, 2010, 03:42AM CST
By Lynn Walsh

The superintendent of a school district outside Austin will no longer be required to submit travel, meal and other expense receipts — a move being criticized by transparency advocates.

Instead of submitting receipts for travel and meal expenses, Eanes Independent School District Superintendent Nola Wellman will receive an additional $10,000 a year for travel and meal expenses. The additional cash is on top of her yearly salary of more than $200,000.

The lack of receipts will likely make it more difficult for the public to access specifics about the superintendent’s taxpayer-funded travel. If documentation of a dinner, hotel stay or airfare is not required to be submitted to the school district, then there are few public records of the travel and associated expenses.

According to a story in the West Lake Picayune, one Eanes ISD board member, Clint Sayers, voted against the proposal of a stipend because of the lack of transparency and because it would increase Wellman’s retirement pay.

“When it’s done that way, these expenses are now not subject to open records,” he said. “People can’t come out and find out where we are spending our travel money. I think that’s hiding the ball. I think that’s hiding where public money goes. I think the people have the right to know how their tax dollars are being spent.”

The board members in support of the stipend said it would increase efficiency in the district and that there are other documents the public can request.

“There are other ways for people to understand what goes on in this district – calendars, emails, etc,” said (board member) Paul Stone. “This was a reasonable request. It’s more efficient for administration.”

In a recent blog post the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas said, “Eanes ISD gets an ‘F’ in Transparency.”

“Even if she chooses another $350 a night hotel suite or expensive dinner on school business. Instead, she’s expected to pay with a flat $10,000 stipend added to her $231,000 annual contract; b) is it an educational expense or simply additional income?”

Do you think Eanes ISD is trying to get around the Texas Public Information Act? Let us know what you think on Twitter @TexasWatchdog or contact Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or @LWalsh on Twitter.

A story written for the Radio Television Digital News Association, RTDNA:

Will Twitter Become a News Organization?
Sep 20 2010
By Lynn Walsh, Texas Watchdog

At a time when more Americans are spending time consuming news, Twitter, arguably the most popular social media site, has announced changes to the way information is viewed, shared and consumed on its site.

Soon, video can be viewed directly on the site; this includes clips, short movies and even live video. These changes, combined with the many examples of news breaking first on Twitter, raise the question: Will Twitter become a news outlet?

From the captured Japanese journalist who used Twitter to announce to the world that he was alive to the recent shootings at Discovery Channel, Twitter continues to break news to the world. MTV has hired a TJ (Twitter Jockey). Could Twitter journalists be next?

It is debatable whether Twitter will be a lasting site or if something new will take hold and dominate the social media world. What I do not think is debatable is whether or not social media and crowd sourcing is going to last. It will!

How will this change the way we, as journalists report the news? How will this change the future responsibilities we will have in a newsroom? What does this mean for how we break stories?

I do not have all the answers and I am not sure there is just one correct answer to any of those questions, but I do think there is a way that we, as journalists, can embrace the changes and adapt to whatever new technology brings our way.

Embrace it and use social media sites to your advantage. Social media is making interview subject, the general public and information more accessible. When people and information are more accessible, our stories can be better, more informative and make more of an impact. If you cannot find a phone number for someone, no worries – search Facebook, “tweet” them or connect with them on LinkedIn. Yes-this means you now have to maintain a presence on these sites, but why wouldn’t you? The benefits far outweigh the amount of time it takes to establish that presence.

Crowd source and do it often! Journalists are no longer privy to certain information about press conferences, major announcements from political candidates or celebrities or natural disaster updates like they used to be. So what if FEMA announces an update about a natural disaster before your station does? That is their job and the information is getting out there. Now, step up and forward the story: use social media to find people who are stranded, help spread details about locations of safe areas and dangerous areas, etc. Use crowd sourcing and information found online from viewers to help you do just that.

Be Flexible. As technology changes and as people consume news differently, our job as journalists is going to change. Expect it and enjoy it. Trying out new technologies is fun. Be the first to live tweet from a local city council meeting. Be the first to live stream from your phone while conducting an interview. Be the first to engage your audience online with question and answer sessions, etc. The first time your big interview is viewed may not be on the nightly newscast, be prepared for it and, most importantly, think of creative ways to keep the story relevant once it does air on television.

Will Twitter become a news organization? I am not sure it will, but what I do know is that we should embrace it. We should become Twitter journalists because we want to. There are people who want to see the news as it happens not hours later on television. There are people who want to help us as journalists, embrace them, use their information and thank them. It is Twitter and other social media sites that make it very easy. Maybe thank them too!

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Group that found flaws in HISD’s finances honors district’s top financial officer
Wed Sep 22 15:02:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

A national education nonprofit that found financial and organizational problems in the Houston Independent School District’s $1 billion construction program is now recognizing HISD’s top financial administrator for her service to urban education.

The Council of the Great City Schools chose HISD’s chief financial officer, Melinda Garrett, for the Bill Wise Award this year. The award is given out annually to a school employee and was established in 2000.

In a July review of HISD’s building program, the council found that the program lacked an annual budget, had no set timelines for the completion of projects and lacked standard guidelines as to how projects would be established, evaluated and completed.

According to the report, financial reports to the HISD bond oversight committee were contradictory: A June quarterly report showed that the capital facilities program had a balance of $25.6 million, but another report dated June 22 showed the same buidling program was $37 million in the red. HISD has been unable to determine whether either figure was correct.

In a press release HISD said Garrett “is responsible for all financial operations of the district and provides oversight for all financial services.”

HISD Board President Greg Meyers said HISD taxpayers can rest easy with Garrett leading the way. In the press release, Meyers said, “The taxpayers of the Houston Independent School District can be very thankful that Melinda is keeping an eye on their money.”

Most of the money in the almost-$1.1 billion capital facilities program came directly from taxpayer-approved funds. It includes a $809 million bond package that voters approved in 2007.

In 2001 another member of HISD’s financial team won the same award, Leonard Strum. Garrett replaced Strum after he retired from HISD in 2001.

According to HISD, this is Garrett’s 26th year with HISD. She previously worked as elementary school teacher and at a private financial company auditing both governmental and private sector firms.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD gets $30M for teacher bonuses, despite study that says bonuses don’t help
Thu Sep 23 20:30:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

The Houston Independent School District will receive more than $30 million in federal funds to help pay for teacher bonuses, the district learned Thursday — two days after a national organization questioned the impact teacher bonuses have on overall performance.

According to a study released by the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University, offering cash incentives to teachers for improving student test scores does not produce a major difference in overall academic performance.

Thursday, two days after the report came out, HISD announced it will receive a $31.5 million federal grant to help the district with its goal of having an effective teacher in every classroom.

The money will be used over a five-year period. According to HISD, almost half of it will fund ASPIRE, HISD’s performance pay program for teachers and principals.

At a press conference Thursday HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said the district’s own internal reviews of its bonus programs show that bonuses work.

“We have done our own studies where we have looked at teachers who have received ASPIRE awards and compared them to those who have not, and they are seeing results,” Grier said. “That does not mean that we will not study it or that we will not make tweaks, as this board has done and continues to do, that will strengthen and improve our program.”

Bonuses of up to $50,000 were available to some teachers involved in the Nashville study. No matter the amount of the bonus, the national research center found that classroom performance did not improve just because a teacher was eligible for a cash bonus.

HISD was one of 62 school districts across the country to receive one of the grants from the U.S. Department of Education.

The study focused on teachers in Nashville, Tenn., public schools and the effect financial performance incentives have on them. The study is being described by experts as the first scientific and rigorous study produced on performance pay in the U.S.

Do you think performance pay is the right way for HISD to reach its goal of an effective teacher in every classroom? Let us know. Message us on Twitter at @TexasWatchdog or @LWalsh, or contact Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org.

A story produced for Texas Watchdog:

Video: HISD’s Lee High School shuffles staff, extends class time under program for struggling schools
Tue Aug 24 10:32:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

The Houston Independent School District is starting the 2010-11 school year with a new program at some high schools and middle schools across the district. Lee High School is part of the Apollo 20 program aimed at increasing academic achievement at underperforming schools in HISD.

Watch and learn what changes students and parents can expect at Lee and how much it is going to cost the district.