Less than a year after Houston ISD trustees unexpectedly voted to stop the placement of Teach For America corps members in classrooms, HISD’s revamped governing board appears poised to allow the organization back into the district for the 2020-21 school year.

HISD trustees are expected to vote next week on reinstating the district’s full relationship with Teach For America, a national organization that identifies, trains and supports high-performing college graduates who want to work in high-needs schools but lack a teaching background. Nearly 30 Teach For America members remained in the district in 2019-20 as part of a two-year commitment to HISD, but the organization did not place any new members in district classrooms this year.

Trustees voted 4-4 last year to renew the district’s contract with Teach For America, falling short of the majority support needed to continue the agreement. The outcome surprised supporters of Teach For America, which has worked with HISD for nearly three decades.

This year, the measure is more likely to pass after two incumbent trustees who voted against the contract, Diana Dávila and Sergio Lira, both lost their re-election bids in November. Their respective replacements, Judith Cruz and Dani Hernandez, are Teach For America alumnae who taught in HISD.

Cruz, Hernandez and three trustees who previously voted in favor of the arrangement — Wanda Adams, Sue Deigaard and Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca — would constitute a majority of votes needed to reinstate Teach For America’s contract. HISD’s administration supports the renewal effort. Newly elected Trustee Kathy Blueford-Daniels also said she supports the organization’s work.

“I think this board has been very clear that they want to work in partnership with the administration, that they want to focus on what’s best for kids,” said Tiffany Cuellar Needham, executive director of Teach For America Houston. “That, more than anything, gives me confidence that we’ll be able to renew this contract with HISD.”

On HoustonChronicle.com: Why HISD trustees voted in 2019 to end Teach For America’s contract

HISD principals have sole discretion over hiring Teach For America members at their campuses, though district officials capped the number of potential hires at 35 in recent years. Corps members are considered full-time employees of HISD, receiving salary and benefits from the district. An annual administrative fee ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 follows each member, with the costs paid out of each campus’ budget.

Cruz said she plans to support renewing Teach For America’s contract because the organization gives principals another option for filling staff vacancies. HISD had 55 open teaching positions at 90 of its lowest-performing campuses as of November.

“Obviously I’m an alum, but I don’t think that’s the reason that drives me to support it,” Cruz said. “I feel like the vote last year was based on a lot of feelings and sentiments, and I feel like every decision we make needs to be based on data that aligns with the goals we set for students.”

Teach For America’s footprint in HISD is relatively small — its corps members typically accounting for about 60 out of the district’s 11,500 teachers — but the organization’s presence in the district incites strong passions tied to education politics.

Supporters of Teach For America often say the organization’s accomplished corps members fill vacancies in urban school districts and bring ambitious ideas to education circles.

“The individuals Teach For America brings to the district are not only extremely talented, but are mission-driven and want to work in schools where there is the greatest level of need and where it is hardest to hire,” HISD’s administration said in a statement.

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Opponents of the organization, however, argue Teach For America educators are inadequately trained and leave the profession at unacceptable rates. A 2016 study commissioned by Teach For America and conducted by American Institutes for Research found Texas corps members remained in their assigned districts at higher rates than non-members for their first two years, but were far more likely to stop teaching in the state after their two-year commitment.

Many Teach For America leaders and alumni also support charter schools and other education policies typically opposed by teachers unions. The Houston Federation of Teachers, HISD’s largest employee union, has not taken a strong stance for or against Teach For America’s contract with the district.

If passed, Needham said she expects the terms of Teach For America’s agreement with HISD to remain largely the same, though the two sides are still negotiating a final contract.

About 250 corps members and alumni remain employed by the district, with another 100 employed by nonprofits and other organizations working with HISD. Teach For America dispatched about 200 corps members to seven other Houston-area districts this school year.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com