The Houston Independent School system has been embroiled in controversy since the Texas Education Agency (TEA) assumed control of the system in 2023. The New Education System (NES) schools’ curriculum model, library closures, downsizing, and most recently, the proposed $4.4 billion bond that ultimately failed, have all drawn criticism from the Board of Managers and the appointed superintendent, Mike Miles.
These are the year’s most significant events that changed the district and the demonstrations that shaped the next year’s agenda.
HISD proposed $4.4 billion bond
A $4.4 billion bond that HISD had proposed earlier this year was put on the ballot on Nov. 5. The bond sought to spend $1.1 billion on campus health and safety as well as preparing students for the future. The remaining $2.2 billion was set aside for school restoration in Houston.
Given the magnitude of the bond, the district faced a significant challenge: gaining community support, particularly in the face of strong resistance to leadership, which it was unable to accomplish. For HISD’s ambitious ambitions to repair the district’s campuses and solve recurring problems, this was an essential step.
Opponents of the bond, including parents, educators, and community residents, concurred that kids would gain from costly improvements to campus technology, security, HVAC systems, air quality, health, career and technical education (CTE) facilities, pre-K areas, transportation, and new construction.
But the general consensus was the same: there was no tie or trust.
Bond proposal failed at the polls
After months of discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the $4.4 billion bond, the HISD community’s growing mistrust ultimately determined its fate: the bond failed, with over 60% of voters rejecting both proposals. 60.02% of the 210,967 votes opposed Prop B ($440 million), while 59.97% opposed Prop A ($3.96 billion).
The votes represented an informal vote on the leadership of HISD. During board meetings, speakers voiced their dissatisfaction with HISD’s operations for months.
The defeat of the bond made it clear that district leadership needed to involve the community and make its ideas more approachable. Additionally, it brought together individuals from both political parties, with Republicans and Democrats joining forces with teacher unions and parent-teacher organizations (PTOs) to oppose the bond. The bond was also promoted by groups like BakerRipley, Good Reason Houston, and the Greater Houston Partnership.
Scores improved but not for all students
Under the strict NES model, which employs a centralized curriculum and test-based assessments, both Asian and white pupils’ scores increased. In non-NES schools, Black and Brown pupils haven’t made as much progress, though. From 28% of all children in 2022–2023 meeting the third-grade arithmetic grade level to 35% in 2023–2024, scores improved for all student categories in NES schools. Additionally, NES schools had a three percentage point improvement in third-grade reading proficiency, with kids in these schools surpassing their counterparts in Texas by an average of four percentage points.
Elementary schools that were not NES lagged in spite of the advancements. Overall, the reading proficiency of HISD third graders decreased from 41% to 40%, a percentage point drop.
Additionally, the proportion of African American, Hispanic, disabled, bilingual, and economically disadvantaged kids who passed grade-level criteria rose in NES schools while it fell in non-NES schools. The 2023–24 school year saw a one percentage point drop in math exam scores in non-NES schools, from 42% in 2022–2023 to 41%.
Budget cuts impacted district
Additionally, Miles reduced the number of campus wraparound specialists who helped with medical, legal, food, lodging, and immigration issues, among other things. The new responsibilities for the remaining specialists were primarily to prevent chronic absence and dropouts. Additionally, they sent students to the recently constructed Sunrise Centers by HISD.
Miles conducted layoffs to offset abudget deficit, citing declining enrollment and the drying up of federal COVID-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) relief funds.
Throughout the year, educators talked to the Defender about how the cutbacks affected students, particularly those who were facing homelessness and hunger.
Leadership changes frustrate teachers, students, and parents
This year, many HISD principals and teachers were reorganized or fired. Former principals, many beloved in their community, spoke up about how they were blind-sided and dismissed from their duties. Although they were hopeful about the current HISD leadership and were initially offered autonomy over their campuses, they were soon let go. Miles evaluation of principals was based on data points like instruction, achievement, action plan and leadership.
The district warned 117 principals, representing 40% of schools, to improve their performances before the spring break. Some principals like Meyerland Middle School s Auden Sarabia, who spent almost three decades at the district, weregiven an ultimatumto resign or be terminated. Similarly, Samantha Woods, the former principal of STEM magnet school Valley West Elementary, and Jessica Berry, the former principal of Herod Elementary School, were terminated after they declined to resign.
Local media reports revealed that there were at least 154 principal changes across 141 HISD campuses this year. Since the TEA takeover, more than 4,000 employees, including a record number of teachers, left the district.
The layoffsled to protestsamong parents and students across the district. Parents and community leaders said the frequent layoffs and reshuffling of beloved principals impacted students academic performance and mental health. They alsocriticized the movesas a community-busting tactic aimed at destabilizing schools and weakening community voices.
HISD released its own accountability ratings
HISD reported significant strides in state-issued accountability ratings, in which more than half (149) of the schools ratings improved by one or more letter grades, 87 had the same grade and 29 saw their score decline. The district had to release its projected ratings because of atemporary restraining orderissued by a Travis County Judge that blocked the release of TEA s ratings this year.
HISD said it used TEA s formula, which uses student achievement, school progress, and closing achievement gaps as parameters. It reflected improvements in NES schools following a centralized curriculum and test-based evaluations. Although scores were low compared to the rest of the state, they improved from other years. Some argued these are the most common parameters to judge if a school is performing well, while others criticized a disproportionate reliance on test results to gauge progress.
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