EDUCATION New TEA-appointed superintendent, board managers take over in HISD
MEET THE NEW BOARD A new superintendent and board at Houston ISD replaced the district’s elected board June 1 amid a state takeover.
BOARD PRESIDENT Audrey Momanaee HISD parent, litigation attorney SECRETARY Angela Lemond Flowers Former HISD teacher, mother of two HISD graduates Cassandra Bandy Parent of fourth- generation HISD student, chemical engineer Rolando Martinez Parent of three HISD children, serves on HISD District Advisory Committee Adam Rivon Parent of a HISD student, U.S. Army veteran
SUPERINTENDENT Mike Miles Former Dallas ISD superintendent
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ
his No. 1 priority was to improve the quality of instruction at HISD. To that end, he announced plans to make teachers reinterview for their jobs at 28 schools that he deemed “new edu- cation schools,” a term he introduced to refer to schools that have struggled to meet state accountability standards in the past. Teachers who are not hired at NES schools will be given similar positions elsewhere in the district, Miles said. Teachers who are hired to teach at these schools will make an average salary of $95,000, which includes a $10,000 stipend, Miles said. Miles also said he wants to overhaul the way the district provides special education services in 2023. Miles said he will host meetings throughout the summer to gather feedback and share more about his vision. Former HISD Superintendent Mil- lard House II—who was hired in July 2021—was removed from the position as Miles took over. As of press time, House had accepted a job as super- intendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools in the Washington, D.C., area. TEA o cials previously outlined the metrics that would need to be met for the district to transition back to its elected board, including having no multiyear failing campuses, bringing the special education program in full compliance with all state and federal statutory requirements, and showing evidence of improved governance. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, an opponent of the state takeover, said it is not in the best interest of HISD students was carried out with a lack of transparency, in a June 1 statement. Takeover opponents have called on the state to instead invest more funding into public education. As of press time July 3, the basic allotment in Texas—de ned by the TEA as the amount of funding that goes to each school district to provide a basic level of education for residents in the district—had not been increased as part of the 2023 legislative session, though it still potentially could in a special session. The allotment, set at $6,160 per student, has not increased since 2019.
A new state-appointed superinten- dent took the reins of Houston ISD in June alongside nine new board managers, who replaced the district’s elected board. The Texas Education Agency appointed former Dallas ISD Superin- tendent Mike Miles as the new HISD superintendent June 1, and board members approved an interim con- tract June 8. A long-term agreement is expected to be approved at a later date that will set Miles’ salary at $360,000 per year, matching that of former HISD Superintendent Millard House II. Meanwhile, the nine new board managers include a mix of former HISD teachers, parents of HISD students and the CEO of the real estate company Camden Property Trust. The TEA had been taking applica- tions for the board since the takeover was announced in March. State o cials have justi ed the intervention by citing unacceptable academic outcomes at Wheatley High School, the continued appointment of a conservator in the district and a 2019 investigation into the district’s special education programming. “We were looking for people from a wide array of backgrounds, experi- ences and perspectives who believe all children can learn and achieve at high levels when properly supported and who can work together,” TEA Com- missioner Mike Morath said in a June 1 statement about the new board. The e ort has been met with back- lash from local leaders in Houston and public education advocates, calling it an unjusti ed “hostile takeover.” “We are no longer an independent school district,” Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson said in a June 1 statement. “But we will also not be a silent school district.” New education In addition to his time at Dallas ISD, Miles also served as superintendent of Harrison School District in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is also the founder of Third Future Schools, a network of public charter schools. In his rst public appearance during a June 2 news conference, Miles said
VICE PRESIDENT Ric Campo CEO of Camden Property Trust Michelle Arnold Mother of HISD student; past work with Texas Education Agency Janette Garza Lindner Mom of two HISD students, school board candidate in 2021 elections Paula Mendoza Mother of a HISD graduate, former University of Houston Board of Regents
A NEW EDUCATION New HISD Superintendent Mike Miles named 28 schools as “new education schools.” Teachers at these schools must reapply for their jobs for the 2023-24 school year.
Teachers hired at these schools will earn an average of $85,000 per year .
Wheatley High School feeder pattern: Atherton Elementary School Bruce Elementary School Dogan Elementary School Eliot Elementary School Henderson Elementary School Isaacs Elementary School Martinez Elementary School Pugh Elementary School Scroggins Elementary School Fleming Middle School McReynolds Middle School Wheatley High School
Kashmere High School feeder pattern:
Berry Elementary School Cook Elementary School Elmore Elementary School Kashmere Gardens Elementary School McGowen Elementary School Paige Elementary School Key Middle School Kashmere High School
North Forest High School feeder pattern: Hilliard Elementary School Shadydale Elementary School Forest Brook Middle School North Forest High School
Other schools: Highland Heights Elementary School Marshall Elementary School
Henry Middle School Sugar Grove Academy
SOURCE: HOUSTON ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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