Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath appointed a new board of managers to oversee Houston ISD and named Mike Miles, a former superintendent for Dallas ISD, to take the helm of the new administration.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, TEA has been slated to dismiss Houston ISD’s locally-elected school board since March after the troubled school system triggered a state takeover because of chronic academic underperformance at one of its campuses.
“Mr. Miles is the right leader to serve as the superintendent of Houston ISD during this intervention, and I am confident that he will be able to drive the system-wide changes necessary to increase student achievement, satisfy the exit criteria to return the district to elected board leadership, and create the conditions necessary for long-lasting student success,” Morath said in a letter to the now former superintendent and board of trustees.
Morath also named the new managers, all of whom are Houston residents:
- Audrey Momanaee
- Ric Campo
- Angela Lemon Flowers
- Michelle Cruz Arnold
- Cassandra Auzenne Bandy
- Janette Garza Lindner
- Rolando Martinez
- Paula Mendoza
- Adam Rivon
Miles released a statement assuring Houston ISD families and stakeholders that he is committed to improving the student outcomes in the district:
“I know many of you value your HISD experience and believe your school is meeting your child’s needs. I’m anxious to get out into your schools and hear more about the work they’re doing that’s serving children well so we can support it and replicate it.
“For the families of students who are not getting what they need from their schools, improving your child’s education experience is job one. Schools don’t fail on their own, and there is no such thing as a failing school inside a successful district.
“Most importantly, schools do not struggle because of the students they serve or the communities they are in. Schools fail because the district fails to support them. We can’t fix one school — we have to fix the system.”