job trends moving forward.
We’ll talk about that on
Houston newsmakers.
>> From KPRC 2, this is Houston
newsmakers with Khambrel
Marshall.
>> It is that time of year
again, hundreds of thousands of
kids have been heading back to
school in recent weeks. And now it’s HISD Stern with almost
it’s HISD Stern with almost
200,000 young people starting
their school years again.
Well, the students may be
ready. The question is whether
the teachers and administration
is as the last school year into the Uvalde school murders were
the Uvalde school murders were
fresh in the minds of everyone.
Now the topic of school safety
is once again front and center.
Here to talk about what’s
ahead. HISD Superintendent
Millard House, the second. Good morning to you, sir.
Good morning to you, sir.
I’m going to get to that school
safety questions just a moment.
But another exciting first,
which is the first day of
school. Seems to me that it’s
always exciting. I remember back when I was going to
back when I was going to
school, it was exciting.
Then how about using
administrator second time
around you Absolutely. We’re
we’re extremely excited.
Not only to be here with you this morning again, Kimbrel but
this morning again, Kimbrel but
>> to get our in the hallways
of the a some much schools throughout teachers are in
throughout teachers are in
Merced and professional
development getting their
classrooms together. Of course,
the administrators are are
prepping for trainings. So we’re very, very excited.
we’re very, very excited.
We feel like we have a tail
wind from this past year that
will make this year even
stronger as we dive in.
>> Let’s talk about the school safety questions about this
safety questions about this
next school year. You have been
quoted as saying that HISD
might not have been ready for
school attacked. You qualify
that by saying that you’re
talking about and attack of a
kind with automatic weapons and that sort of thing, something
that sort of thing, something
that many school districts on
prepared for.
But unfortunate some of them,
including HISD, have had to
face the facts about school safety and you’re a school
safety and you’re a school
meeting this past week steps
were made to try to change that
dynamic. Talk about what
happened, what was decided
moving forward that you’re absolutely right, Campbell.
absolutely right, Campbell.
First and foremost, HISD
parents can rest assured HISD
police, school administrators,
staff will continue to enforce
existing safety measures while
exploring areas of of improvement ensure highest
improvement ensure highest
standard of safety that
everyone wants as as a parent
the safety and security of not
only my students, but all students is the highest
students is the highest
priority. Now, our current
assessment is that HISD PD
needs additional equipment,
which is what we saw. The board approved last night and board
approved last night and board
meeting. And this is why we
continue to to work with our
chief of police constable’s office. The sheriff’s HPD, the
office. The sheriff’s HPD, the
mayor Chief Finner, our board
of trustees ensure that we are
as prepared as possible for for
any situation. You mentioned earlier, the idea of a an
earlier, the idea of a an
intruder on campus that has an
automatic weapon. No one wants
to see that. But in my eyes, we
want to be as prepared as
possible. And after last night’s vote, we feel like
night’s vote, we feel like
we’re much more prepared than
what we were before is enough
money. I mean, I guess the
question is and and something
like that can never be enough. But the amount of money that
But the amount of money that
you’ve applied to that you
think that’s enough?
>> We assessed exactly what it
is that we felt like could make
us even that much more prepared. And that was
prepared. And that was
accomplished in the vote last
night. The process now goes
forward and how those weapons
and those kinds of things that
are going to be purchased with that ballistic vest, those kind
that ballistic vest, those kind
of things long guns. How that
will be staged in case
something happens. Those are
the minute you those are the
details that he left. But those
are the details. But I think what people have to remember,
what people have to remember,
it’s not just about it’s not
just about guns. It’s also
about people over the over the Several HISD schools received
Several HISD schools received
upgrades in terms of fencing,
cameras, a video storage
capacity which where is where
we are set to to move in motion. Very quick. HISD
motion. Very quick. HISD
employs approximately 200
officers on our force and those
individuals have moved forward
with lots
of different intruder on drills
So that’s something that a lot
of people don’t think through
and understand. The training is extremely important and we feel
extremely important and we feel
our officers are trained up
and the best way possible for
those kind of situations.
I know you hope that you never
ever have to deploy any of that
in these cases. But you have
to be ready. And I think that’s
something you talked about that
you want to. Absolutely.
Let’s talk about your teachers
we’ve heard that the teacher
shortages all over the country.
HISD is not different. But I
remember talking to you within
the last year and you were
telling me about making
concerted efforts to do number
of increase, teacher pay to try to do what you could for higher
to do what you could for higher
levels of teacher retention.
How is that happened? How has
that gone? I know you still
have some shortages, but how
happy are you with what’s half hour recruiters and principals
hour recruiters and principals
have done a tremendous job to
ensure that we really combat
the nationwide teacher shortage
that’s been in front of us across the country. Are we?
across the country. Are we?
We anticipate opening school
with a at least 95% of our
positions field. And I think
that’s a huge accomplishment.
Think knowing that 10,000
teachers have already begun the school year in their
the school year in their
classroom, prepping doing their
professional development and
getting ready for students.
And in about a week when we
develop a to HISD strategic
plan, we did just that. And in terms of what you just talked
terms of what you just talked
we talked about the idea of
partnering with organizations
like the University of Houston,
University of Houston, downtown and other universities. I had a
and other universities. I had a
trip down to Sam Houston State
University most recently and
we’re looking forward to
additional conversations with
them about grow your own programs that can allow us to
programs that can allow us to
to have an even deeper surplus
or deeper bench for applicants
as we move forward. So with that gaps that are there, how
that gaps that are there, how
do you feel from a from a
parent? And I know I’ve got
my kids going to school and
they’re one of those.
>> Few that doesn’t have quote, one of the how do you
one of the how do you
branch over to make sure that
all the spots of field, if you
have 95% of this 5% that that
that’s correct. So how does
that was? Of course we have a
traditional substitute as well. We also are doing something a
We also are doing something a
little bit different than we
did. Last year. We deployed
several individuals from
Hattie. Mae are the Education
Service Center. And this year we’re taking volunteers from
we’re taking volunteers from
Hattie Mae that may want to
go out that have certification
as well. So on top of our our
part, teaching or substitute
teaching pool, we also have a pool of individuals is being
pool of individuals is being
built that have certification
from a heavy made. The can
volunteer and be out in
schools. Also. So one of the
big headaches over the last
year and a half or everybody’s
the pandemic. The pandemic hit,
the height of it is over, but
COVID is not. And now we have
monkeypox as well. What kind
of plans contingency plans other in place and what is
other in place and what is
still COVID problem and may be
a park’s problem down the road
as well. And never in, you
know, camera, my grandmother
used to say it’s always
something quite frankly in and we’re working health partners
we’re working health partners
throughout the region,
including Houston Health
Department to follow
developments closely to implement the necessary
implement the necessary
procedures and precautions to
put in place. We also will
continue using the enhanced
placed cleaning procedures in
cleaning agents. >> has has begun that process
>> has has begun that process
already, of course, during the
pandemic. So a lot of that will
just be transferred over in
terms of what we’re seeing with monkeypox. We’re using this
monkeypox. We’re using this
different if it disinfects for
Also, we’re no longer requiring
mask. And I think that’s
important. We had a few people
to show up at our board thinking that we were
thinking that we were
potentially requiring mask.
So that has been brought to a
halt. But parents can continue moving for personal hygiene
moving for personal hygiene
has never been more So we’re
teaching and encouraging on
a daily basis. We’re
encouraging them to speak with the children about the
the children about the
importance of washing their
when a different age and
washing your hands and hygiene is very, very important.
is very, very important.
Well, we a this information
we shared in a very caring way
with students to to inform our
students too, you know, eat drink and, you know, a certain
drink and, you know, a certain
way to to make certain that
that they’re doing is less
least amount of touching of
their mouths after their union
as possible. So lots of
different things are going in
place to ensure that we have a safe start to the school year.
safe start to the school year.
One, everybody is happy about
those kinds of changes and
hopefully we won’t have any
uprising to many more of those
kind of disease in our
community. But thank you for
coming here. We have more with
the superintendent house after
the break. >> We’ll talk about some of the
>> We’ll talk about some of the
challenges being faced from