The Texas Education Agency named former Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles the superintendent of the Houston ISD on Thursday, commencing the agency's June 1 takeover of the state's largest school district.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath notified the Houston ISD in March that the TEA would be removing both the district's elected school board and Superintendent Millard House II after years of poor academic outcomes at Wheatley High School and after dozens of other campuses received grades of D or F.
Morath told Houston and Harris County leaders the continued negative performance required his agency to either close the high school altogether or appoint a new board to oversee the district.
In a press release Thursday announcing the appointments, the TEA touted Miles as an "experienced educational leader with an established track record of success improving outcomes for Texas students, including in the second largest school district in the state."
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Miles and Morath worked together for several years while in the Dallas ISD, with Miles as superintendent and Morath as a member of the board of trustees. Morath was first appointed TEA Commissioner in 2016 but for five years before that served as the District 2 representative on the Dallas ISD school board. Miles joined the Dallas ISD in July 2012 before resigning in June 2015.
On Thursday, Miles published a letter to HISD parents, promising they would soon see and feel things change within the district but that fixing the broken systems will take time.
"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," Miles said in a letter to parents Thursday. "It is my great privilege to lead HISD in this work to make it one of the best school districts in this country."
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Morath said Thursday that Miles would be working under a 21-day interim contract until he receives formal approval from the nine-member Board of Managers. The board of managers, whose appointments were also announced on the same day, temporarily replace the Houston ISD's elected board of trustees.
“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,” said Morath 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.”
While the current elected board members will temporarily lose authority, they will be invited to serve in an advisory capacity and scheduled school board elections will continue.
The Houston ISD's Board of Managers will work with Miles to accomplish the exit criteria set forth by TEA that must occur before they can transition control of the district back to the elected board.
"Specifically, the exit criteria that address the underlying causes for intervention include no multi-year failing campuses; a special education program in full compliance with all state and federal statutory requirements; and evidence of improved governance that demonstrates procedures and behavior focused on improved outcomes for all students in Houston ISD."
The TEA commissioner decides how long the board of managers is in place. Usually, these sorts of takeovers last two to six years.
