Houston ISD board members meet with parents to discuss district's future
HOUSTON - The Houston Independent School District (HISD) board members held a community meeting Tuesday night at Farias Elementary School in north Houston to listen to input from parents and educators. The meeting was the first of a series of 11 planned for the month of September.
Instead of the traditional board meeting arrangement, the board members decided to meet with attendees one-on-one. The purpose of the meetings, according to board president Audrey Momanaee, is to listen to the community's vision and values.
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"Please tell your friends, your neighbors, and community members that we are holding these events," Momanaee said. "We really want people to show up and talk to us about what it is that they want for our kids, and engage in that conversation, because it's so important."
The meeting began with a presentation on the current reading and math levels in the district. Collectively, 3rd through 12th grade students in Houston are underperforming compared to other major cities across the country. Only 40% of third through fifth graders meet the standards in both subjects.
Attendees had mixed reviews of the meeting. Some saw it as an opportunity to speak with leaders, while others were hoping to get answers to current issues at the start of the semester.
"I like the ability to be one-on-one," said HISD parent Brooke Longoria. "I like their candid responses. I like it. I'm a fan. My concerns tonight - our district has an emerging bilingual population - 37% of HISD Students. We have a duty to educate these children well. I have very deep and sincere concerns that Superintendent Mike Miles is not implementing dual language appropriately at NES and NES-A schools."
HISD volunteer Carmen Nuncio, who has volunteered for over 40 years, said she would prefer to hear from Superintendent Mike Miles.
"The board members, yes they can answer questions, but I would rather hear them from him," Nuncio said. "Because he's the one that's doing all these things."
The next community meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 6 at Deady Middle School. You can find more information about those meetings here.