Billionaire’s foundation may aid HISD in teacher eval suit
An equation involved in HISD’s teacher evaluation system is displayed in May next to Andy Dewey, an officer of the Houston Federation of Teachers who is suing HISD over its evaluation methods. (Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle)
The Houston school district, being sued over its teacher evaluation system, is considering hiring a prominent law firm that just won a lawsuit challenging teacher tenure policies in California.
The district also may get some of its legal costs paid for by the Houston-based Laura and John Arnold Foundation, which supports evaluating teachers in part based on student test scores and has donated money toward HISD’s effort. HISD became one of the first urban districts in the country to adopt a policy in 2011 that said test scores would be included in teachers’ job evaluations.
“When HISD approached us to help defend its teacher evaluation system, we agreed because we support teacher evaluation systems that use student advancement as one metric of teacher performance,” Leila Walsh, a spokeswoman for the Arnold Foundation, said Thursday.
The school board agenda for Thursday says trustees may talk behind close doors about possibly hiring the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to defend the district in the federal lawsuit filed in late April by the Houston Federation of Teachers union and seven of its members. HISD spokeswoman Sheleah Reed said the firm is the same as in the California case, though it’s unclear if the same lawyers would be involved.
The agenda item also says the board may discuss a grant from the Arnold Foundation “to support certain litigation costs.” The board would have to vote in public on the matter.
“Regardless of who they hire, we have a very strong case,” said Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Billionaire’s foundation may aid HISD in teacher eval suit - K-12 Zone: