Mike Miles, the leader of Dallas ISD from 2012-2015, may be waiting in the wings to become superintendent in Texas’ takeover of Houston ISD. That’s according to a weekend tweet by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has been among the most vocal opponents of the Texas Education Agency’s plans for the state’s largest district, its 189,000 students and 27,000 employees.
The word is the Commissioner TEA has chosen Mike Miles, former Superintendent of Dallas ISD to be the Superintendent of HISD. The Commissioner should confirm or deny. This process is totally flawed. One person in Austin is deciding who will be the Superintendent and Managers. st
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) May 13, 2023
The Texas Education Agency has responded by saying a decision has not been made and nothing will be announced until June 1, KHOU reported.
Agency leaders have said that consistently poor academic performance at Houston ISD is driving the takeover, which became official in March after years of speculation and is one of the largest in U.S. history. The takeover has angered Democrats, who see it as a political move against one of the red state’s most liberal and diverse cities.
The agency has said it intends to replace Houston Superintendent Millard House II and the district’s board of trustees—which held its last meeting on Thursday—with a new district leader and an appointed board of managers consisting of district residents. “Hundreds of Houstonians” have applied to serve on the new board of managers, the agency said.
In his 2015 resignation announcement, Miles said he felt he could step down to rejoin his family in Colorado after helping build a “critical foundation” for Dallas ISD to continue on a positive trajectory. Among the achievements he cited were the implementation of a rigorous principal evaluation system, a pay-for-performance teacher evaluation system, expansion of public choice schools, and increased investment in early childhood programs.
Turner’s tweet drew strong social media reaction from all sides:
Process isn't the problem. https://t.co/C8KX8wcyou pic.twitter.com/VZYl9ccMk8
— James Quintero (@JamesQuinteroTX) May 13, 2023
Houston’s largest school district is under assault by a hostile Governor and his Ed Commissioner.
The process is undemocratic and flawed – as intended.
Houstonians will continue to voice opposition to this racist takeover – regardless of which puppet is selected. #HISD https://t.co/Zzd4A5XKOw— Daniel Santos (@mr_dsantos) May 14, 2023
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