Teacher Employee Value Proposition

?In my last blog post, I outlined different compensation plans and the “value” of job security and degrees of accountability.? I noted that in order for the evaluation system to be meaningful and effective there should be some agreement about the employee value proposition.? Several of the readers have since asked to see an example of an employee value proposition for a district undergoing considerable change.? The EVP included below is the one we use in Houston.? Perhaps the key takeaway is that working for a school district begins with a choice.

?“But it is a choice – and if you choose to work for HISD, you must own your choice and rise to the challenge.? For our part, we will provide strong supports and leadership, and we will meet our commitments to you as a teacher and professional.”

Dear Teacher or Prospective HISD Team Member,

Thank you for your interest in joining the largest and most comprehensive public education transformation effort in the country. The Houston Indendent School Distirct (HISD) has already begun the work to become the first large urban district to significantly narrow achievement gaps and prepare students for a Year 2035 workplace and world.?

Our teachers and school leaders are paving the way and making a real difference for the students of Houston and the United States.? If you are an effective teacher, or one that is willing to grow as an educational professional, and if you want to be part of a high-performance culture engaged in the most important work of our time, then we want you on the team.?

At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, nearly half of our 274 schools will be in the process of whole-scale, systemic reform, using HISD’s New Education System (“NES”) principles. The District’s remaining schools also continue to adopt new practices that significantly improve the quality of instruction and help prepare students for a workplace that sets a premium on critical thinking and technological skills.

Teachers are the most critical component of the District’s transformation. Students in our schools receive excellent instruction every day.? Principals lead teams of trained professionals tasked with making sure every student is proficient in core skills and also experiences the arts, science and technology, and the global marketplace of ideas in our classrooms. This is an elite team of educators singularly focused on improving student achievement.

Being on an elite team begins with choices – you must choose to be on the team, and we must choose you.? As a District, we can offer you an employee value proposition that is unlike any other.? We want you to understand the benefits and expectations of taking a position with HISD, and we want you to make a choice that is aligned with your values and our shared district values. To ensure you can make an informed decision, we want you to understand our expectations and the core principles that govern how HISD operates.?

HISD’s Compensation Manual outlines benefits and salaries, which are significantly higher than those of surrounding districts.? Starting salaries and base compensation in our NES schools are among the highest in the nation.? Beyond compensation, we support teachers and school leaders in creating a safe and orderly environment, where discipline is handled by administrators and teachers are allowed to teach.? We offer best-in-the-nation professional development to help teachers continuously improve the quality of instruction. We have high expectations for school leaders and coach them on creating a positive school culture.? And recognizing that teaching is tough work, the District has taken steps to improve work-life harmony, with a goal of eliminating all after-school work four out of the five days in a week.

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In our employee value proposition, creating a “high-performance culture” is a value for both sides of the balance.? Here is how a high-performance culture manifests itself in HISD:

• We expect teachers to continuously improve.?
• All teachers will be coached regularly and consistently. That means teachers will receive real-time and on-the-job feedback.? Leaders in HISD have used the analogy of a coach on a football field.? The feedback in such a scenario is usually immediate, and if players in practice are not executing plays correctly, they are coached during practice so they can improve and the entire team benefits.?
• We use time efficiently and effectively.? That means we expect people to be on time and to manage time well.? Classes start on time, duty starts on time, the school is open on time, and meetings start on time both at campuses and district wide.?
• Teachers are generally expected to be at work at least 15 minutes before their first class starts and 15 minutes after their last class ends.? They are also expected to participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and at any ad hoc meeting called by the school leader. Teachers are professional exempt employees who are not paid by the hour, and therefore most obligations that occur outside the school day are covered by the base compensation schedule.
• We expect teachers and principals, as well as all other staff district wide, to abide by the attendance policy and regulations, and we equitably enforce the policy.
• Teachers, teacher apprentices, learning coaches, and other staff members are expected to help monitor students at all times. We take the monitoring of students seriously as this is the single best way for us to ensure students are safe and learning.
• Teacher evaluation will include achievement data and additional compensation will be tied to teacher effectiveness.
• We expect teachers and all staff to act and speak professionally and to try to solve problems and address concerns in a productive manner.?
• We expect all teachers to hold themselves accountable for meeting expectations.? This accountability requires school leaders to provide the necessary support to remove barriers to success.? Accountability without support leads to a climate of fear.? In a high-performance culture, people are held accountable, but also have the support they need to meet high expectations.

We hope this overview of our employee value proposition explains what we mean by a high-performance culture and provides clarity around both our commitments and our expectations. We recognize too that an environment of high expectations and a high-performance culture can be stressful for some people and that many will choose to work elsewhere.? But it is a choice – and if you choose to work for HISD, you must own your choice and rise to the challenge.? For our part, we will provide strong supports and leadership, and we will meet our commitments to you as a teacher and professional.

This document provides an overview, but the specific conditions of your employment will be governed by the entirety of your employment contract, district policies and regulations, and the Employee Handbook.? These items also govern avenues for healthy professional debate and specific ways for employee voices to be heard, including taking advantage of HISD’s staff grievance policy.?

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