In a June 1 news release, the TEA also named the nine board managers who will take the place of the district's elected board.
“Over the past few months, we have been heartened to see so many Houstonians eagerly step up to serve their community and the students of Houston ISD,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. “We were looking for people from a wide array of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives who believe all children can learn and achieve at high levels when properly supported and who can work together. I believe the governing team I am naming today will work as a unified team, dedicated to improving student outcomes and supporting educators.”
The TEA has been taking applications and interviewing candidates for the board since the takeover was formally announced in March, 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. The effort has been met with fierce backlash from local leaders in Houston and public education advocates, calling it an unjustified "hostile takeover" of a local district by state officials.
"Don't get confused; this is a hostile takeover," said Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, in a June 1 statement. "We are no longer an independent school district. But we will also not be a silent school district.”
In a statement posted to HISD's website, Miles said he has been an educator for close to 30 years. 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 and CEO of Third Future Schools, a network of public charter schools.
In the June 1 statement, Miles addressed parents directly, saying they will see the changes as they are implemented within the district. The way HISD provides special education services will be overhauled in 2023, he said, and the district will also align its resources to "better serve students in underserved communities."
"Schools do not struggle because of the students they serve or the communities they are in," Miles said. "Schools fail because the district fails to support them. We can’t fix one school—we have to fix the system. It will take time, but we are starting now, and we will not stop until every HISD student is learning in a school that teaches them core skills at grade level and prepares them for successful lives in the Houston of 2035."
HISD will provide more information "in the next few days" on what parents and students can expect from the transition, Miles said. He also said he will host meetings throughout the summer to gather feedback and share more about his vision for the future.
Miles was hired on a 21-day interim contract by the TEA, which will be in place until he receives formal approval from the board of managers.
The first HISD board meeting under the new board of managers will take place June 8. TEA officials 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 that "demonstrates procedures and behavior focused on improved outcomes for all students in Houston ISD."
At a May 18 meeting, TEA Deputy Commissioner for Governance Steve Lecholop suggested the district's elected board members serve as liaisons to the new incoming board, helping them with the transition and connecting to community groups.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a longtime opponent of the state takeover, repeated his position that it is not in the best interest of HISD students.
"This process has been flawed and anti-democratic from the very beginning," Turner said in a June 1 statement. "There has been minimal community engagement and very little transparency. The named superintendent and board of managers were chosen behind closed doors by the state with little or no input from parents, teachers or local community leaders."
Turner was among the takeover opponents who called on the state to instead invest more funding into public education. In its two-year budget sent to the state comptroller May 30, Texas lawmakers set the basic allotment—defined by the TEA as the amount of funding that goes to each school district to provide a basic level of education for the district’s residents—at $6,160 per student, representing no increase in funding from the previous legislative session. The basic allotment has not increased since it was raised from $5,140 per student during the 2019 session.
As previously reported by Community Impact, Texas ranks No. 42 nationally in per-student spending, according to Education Week’s 2021 School Finance Rankings. The Texas comptroller of public accounts reported a $900 increase in the basic allotment would be needed just to keep up with inflation.
