HISD board gives early backing to limit on public comment during meetings

The board of managers for Houston ISD indicated early support on Tuesday for restricting the public’s freedom of speech at its monthly board sessions.

The board voted 8-1 in favor of a policy proposal that would do away with the hearing of the community, a time when the public could speak to the board on any issue pertaining to the district. The board must have a second vote, perhaps in early 2025, before the policy can become official.

The vote comes after months of conflict between the state-appointed administration of HISD, which came to power in June 2023 as part of the district’s sanctions, and the public, who were against Superintendent Mike Miles’ reform of HISD. In its annual self-evaluation in November, the board assigned itself a 1 out of 10 rating on community engagement, despite several community members’ claims that the board hasn’t done enough.

The goal of the suggested modifications to community participation at public meetings, according to HISD Board President Audrey Momanaee, is to increase the effectiveness of the events. She maintained that the greatest approach to have a meaningful conversation with the public is not at a board meeting.

“I feel like we should get the job done when we’re here to board work,” Momanaee remarked. After that, let’s engage the community in a genuine manner by speaking with the people who are voicing concerns.

However, a number of presenters on Tuesday contended that restricting remarks at board sessions violated a pledge to enhance community involvement.

Ilya Martinalbo, a parent of HISD, said she observed that after voters rejected a $4.4 billion bond proposal in November, certain board members made a greater effort to engage with the community. She cited Momanaee’s email to the community following the bond failure and board member Adam Rivon’s Facebook video series.

It feels like we’re moving backwards now, all of a sudden, Martinalbo added.

The original recommendation also called for removing the option for community members to speak at board meetings via teleconference, with board member Ric Campo citing occasional challenges with technology causing disruptions. However, after speakers roundly criticized the change Tuesday, board members said they would update the proposed changes and keep the teleconference option.

Under Texas Open Meetings Act, school boards are required to provide the public an opportunity to speak about items listed on the meeting agenda. Nonetheless, you are not required by law to allow anyone to speak to the board on any subject.

HISD has hosted hearing of the community for many years, allowing residents to address everything from principal changes to safety concerns to issues with getting special education services. While board members typically can t respond directly to speakers, the public comments can bring issues to the attention of district administrators.

All of the Houston area s largest school districts including Cy-Fair, Katy, Fort Bend, Conroe and Aldine ISDs offer the public an opportunity to speak about non-agenda items during monthly board meetings, though their public comment periods are often quieter and shorter than HISDs.

HISD s lengthy and often raucous board meetings have frustrated some board members, prompting the proposal. Tuesday s meeting lasted eight and a half hours, ending at 1:30 a.m., with public comment stretching for roughly two hours and the board going into closed session for about three hours.

The hearing of the community portion Tuesday included about a dozen community members questioning why several books with sexual references were found in HISD schools. A few repeated graphic language from books, prompting Momanaee to issue multiple warnings to speakers and order one person removed from the meeting.

Prior to the meeting, the Houston Education Association held a press conference to discuss working conditions in schools and how they impact students. HEA President Michelle Williams addressed the board s attempt to remove the hearing of the community portion from meetings.

This is blatant retaliation because of the bond not passing and everyone coming together community members, all stakeholders to defeat the bond, and that was no easy feat, Williams said. And it s not something that we wanted to do. However, it was something that needed to be done because our rights have been taken away.