HISD Board Meeting Speakers Blame Superintendent Miles, Not Themselves, For Bond Issue Defeat

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Jolanda Jones said the reason the Houston ISD bond didn't pass was because of Miles himself. Although Miles has rejected the idea that it was a referendum on his leadership, that's exactly what it was, they maintained. Whether the majority of parents in the district feel this way is up for debate; those who showed up Thursday don't like his New Education System of timed lessons and daily testing, his dismissal of librarians and the books they oversaw, or his constant shuffling and firing of principals at campuses throughout the district. There were also complaints about how the district is spending the money it has. If there wasn't so much hostility in the room Thursday night, at least some of those attending might have been able to muster some sympathy for the superintendent who sat there stoically while insults were hurled his way for more than two hours and calls for his resignation continued. But no one seemed to be in a forgiving or understanding mood. Following the election in which 58 percent of voters said no to the bond, Miles issued a statement which among other things stated: "In this instance, the politics of adults beat out the needs of our children. It's unfortunate and wrong, but I want to assure you that it will not limit our ability to do the things that our students need." The idea that Miles was blaming parents who didn't care enough about the needs of their children enraged several speakers. "I received this email from Mike Miles on November 5. How dare you send this to parents. We are here supporting our children. And you say we are playing politics?" said Brian Colvard. Parent Serena Houlihan had this to say: "Board of Managers. This was your bond vote to lose and boy, did you lose it. In a deeply divided country, a clear majority of bipartisan voters voted against you. That should tell you and your supporters something serious. You may claim the vote wasn't about you, but we all know that's total nonsense .It was a full on no-confidence vote in your ability here." She termed Miles' statement after the bond was rejected a "meltdown" and "unprofessional." "How dare you of not caring about our own children?" The other main issue of the night was the succession of changes at any number of HISD schools including Harvard Elementary where the popular principal was replaced by first one and then another principal within one week. Several speakers said this was the first time they had ever spoken before a school board and for many of them, the changes at Harvard were the catalyst. Shannon Knight, who said her children have been in an IB program since the time they started in HISD, argued against NES coming to those schools. "My daughter last week came home from high school. 'Mom, I'm terrified, I haven't seen my geometry teacher for five days. Rumor has it, she's getting fired.' Where's her teacher? Why are we breaking up this leadership? Stop the madness." The meeting started with Board Secretary Angela Lemond Flowers presiding. Absent were Board President Audrey Momanaee, Paula Mendoza, Vice President Ric Campo and Michelle Cruz Arnold although Cruz Arnold showed up at 8:25, almost three and a half hours into the meeting with a scheduled start time of 5 p.m. All reportedly had "prior engagements" although the dates for HISD Board of Managers meetings are set weeks and months in advance. At the beginning of the meeting Lemond Flowers read a statement from the board saying they were disappointed with the voters rejection of the bond. "But we will charge ahead with the best of our abilities to serve [students] with the facilities we have. We are focused on moving forward with the Houston community." Whether that means another bond proposal — there's word they might try for one next May — what it might cover and whether the community would help build its components this time is the next question. The "No Trust, No Bond" chant of previous meetings has apparently been replaced by a chant of "Our Kids, Our Schools," with the occasional tag line "Our Community." Parents at the meeting expressed skepticism on two counts: that board members saying they are willing to build better communication with the public will actually do so and that the administration would wisely use any extra money it gets. Parent Christine Hurley came to the speaker's microphone accompanied by her son. "There's a good reason Houston parents said no to your bond. We don't trust you. You don't listen to us. You sent our school spin bikes when our kids can't wait for language support. You wasted money on new smart boards that sat in front of our already new smart boards. "Please stop sending us stuff we don't want or need and listen to us when we tell you what our kids need. How else are you supposed to engage with us when you don't respond to emails? According to teacher MinhDan Tran at Sharpstown High "Non-NES classes are held in storage closets and office spaces because Art of Thinking and Teams Centers took over science labs. With 40 or 50 students in non-NES classes, many are forced to sit on the floor. Their teachers are reprimanded for trying to borrow unused chairs from NES classes that have 10 students in them. They spent over $200,000 on new furniture but only students in NES classes get to sit on NES chairs. Did we spend 200K for our kids to sit on the floor?"