Get to know HISD's new Superintendent and what he says he'll do for the district
HOUSTON - As of Thursday, June 1, the state of Texas is beginning its takeover of the Houston Independent School District and has now named its 9-member board of managers and new Superintendent for the school district.
Who is Mike Miles?
HISD's new Superintendent Mike Miles is a former Dallas ISD Superintendent. That's where he worked with the head of the Texas Education Agency Mike Morath, who was on the school board there. Morath appointed Miles to the job, which didn't necessarily come as a surprise. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said last month Miles was Morath's choice.
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How does Miles describe the district? "Right now, it's a tale of two districts," says Miles. The high-performing schools, says HISD's new Superintendent and those that are failing. What are his plans to change that?
"At first we're going to have 29 schools where we're going to do whole scale systemic reform, and then we'll just provide more support to the other schools," Miles explains, and he says some of the schools that will get immediate attention include Wheatley High where we met for the interview.
"Not Wheatley High School alone, but Wheatley feeder pattern, Kashmere feeder pattern, and North Forest feeder pattern, many of those schools will be what we call the new education system schools. They are priority schools where we'll provide a level of support they've never seen before," Miles says.
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To turn struggling schools around Miles says there will be hiring, firing, and transitioning.
"Their position may shift but yes there will be some restructuring this summer no question (and why is that?) because our kids don't have a year for us to wait for reform," Miles adds.
HISD's new superintendent is a father of three grown children and a military veteran.
"Former army officer, West Point grad , company commander, army ranger. I was a diplomat to Poland, Russia," Miles explains. He not only worked as one but says teachers changed his life.
"I had a speech impediment. I grew up poor, one of eight kids and instead of not pushing me and cutting me slack I had teachers in first grade who taught me how to speak. As a result, I've been able to go to West Point, Berkeley, Columbia, three of the best universities in the United States, and I owe that to teachers...I love teachers. I want to support them, and they should get paid more. (Any plans to increase salaries?) For sure. I can't do it overnight," Miles explains.
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However, he says for those 29 priority schools, salaries will increase right away.
Miles is also racially diverse. "My father's Black. My mother's Japanese. That background gives me a perspective on what people who have been maybe overlooked or underserved, feel".
Miles says Black and brown students have been underserved in HISD.
"On the NAEP results for 2022 4th grade Black kids are reading at 11% proficiency. 11. HISD's kids. The white students in HISD are at 60%. That gap is 49 percentage points, and the math gap is worse".
A series of town hall meetings will be held to get to know Miles, who is also the founder of a charter school consulting group, but he says he's not bringing a charter agenda to HISD.
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"No. The job is to take the schools that we have, 273 schools and make sure those are the best schools, and provide the best education for all the kids in HISD. That's the charge....education is still in my book, it's still the number one thing that can change your stars, and so that's what I think I'll bring to HISD".