Tag Archives: Mike Miles

Whitmire and SJL on the HISD mess

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Mayor has basically no direct influence on HISD, but it’s an issue people care about and the Mayor can certainly make it a point of focus. So what do our two Mayoral runoff candidates have to … Continue reading →

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The Chron covers The MOB

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Obviously, I am going to make note of this. A spectacle on the Rice Stadium football field: A college student wearing a suit and fedora hands a giant check for $0 to a man in a rubber horse helmet. Scoffs, … Continue reading →

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PragerU videos? Seriously?

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Once again I have to ask, what the hell is going on at HISD? A Friday lesson intended to teach students at dozens of Houston ISD schools how to think objectively included a video that mocked the idea of human-caused … Continue reading →

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The Mike Miles effect so far

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of explainers from the Chron. First up, this one about what has actually happened so far in HISD since Mike Miles took over. Superintendent Mike Miles has made sweeping changes in Houston ISD since he was appointed by … Continue reading →

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HISD moves towards District of Innovation status

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

One more step to go, which ought to be a mere formality. The Houston ISD District Advisory Committee voted in favor of the “District of Innovation” plan Tuesday, putting the state’s largest school district one step closer to obtaining the … Continue reading →

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Two more HISD stories

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Houston ISD’s elected board currently has no power. People ran for the trustee posts anyway. Two incumbents, Dani Hernandez and Patricia Allen, maintained their seats Tuesday, both winning reelection easily against a sole challenger. Meanwhile, two incoming trustees, Savant Moore … Continue reading →

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HISD reveals its “District of Innovation” plans

Posted on November 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m more skeptical than I was before, mostly because of how things have gone so far in HISD. Houston ISD released a draft plan Monday evening to potentially exempt itself from 10 state laws, including teacher certification requirements, class size … Continue reading →

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Who still wants to teach at HISD?

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is bad, right? Perelman is one of 137 teachers who left Houston ISD during the first month of school this year, all but five of them of their own volition, according to public records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. … Continue reading →

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Another HISD threefer

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, too much news and too little time… HISD special ed teachers say new instructional model under Miles is too rigid to support children. Brian Tucker started getting help for a speech impairment and learning disability in second grade … Continue reading →

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DeBakey students finally get an AP Physics teacher

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never and all that, but sheesh. AP Physics students at the DeBakey High School for Health Professions had a new teacher Wednesday after Houston ISD lifted a hiring freeze that had kept the position vacant since the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Hernandez and Allen in HISD

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron does remember that there are HISD races on the ballot. It’s the board of managers that has the voting power on district decisions, a task some critics say it has fulfilled by largely rubber-stamping Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans. … Continue reading →

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Seriously, what the hell is going on at HISD?

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Well, three things that aren’t just straight-up WTF? Juniors and seniors at Houston ISD’s DeBakey High School for Health Professions walked into their AP Physics classes at the beginning of the school … Continue reading →

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HISD releases its special education plan

Posted on October 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see. Houston ISD’s administration rolled out a long-anticipated list of fixes to its special education programs Thursday, unveiling plans aimed at rectifying the district’s persistent problems with serving students with disabilities. In a presentation to HISD’s state-appointed school board, … Continue reading →

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HISD update threefer

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t keep up with all of the HISD stories, so I’m going to just highlight a couple of recent ones. Rumors of closure spark third rally at HISD campus as parents consider options. The family joined a Wednesday afternoon … Continue reading →

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Once again with questions about Mike Miles’ finances

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

More good work from Houston Landing. New Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans for the district are built on the promise of more. More pay for teachers. More staff in classrooms. More security officers on campuses. But all of those … Continue reading →

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The MOB versus Mike Miles

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Presented for all the obvious reasons. Rice University’s marching band mocked state-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles during their halftime show at Saturday’s football game against Texas Southern University. The small band, known as The Mob, performed a brief “Austin … Continue reading →

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More on the HISD District of Innovation pursuit

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some good stuff from the Chron. Houston ISD took the first step Thursday in the process to be a District of Innovation, a move that would allow it to seek exemptions to several state laws. To become a DOI, an … Continue reading →

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“District of innovation”

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this means. Houston ISD’s state-appointed school board unanimously voted Thursday to begin the process of becoming a “District of Innovation,” a move that could ultimately allow the district to extend the school year for students and teachers. … Continue reading →

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HISD temporarily blocked from using new teacher evaluation system

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This all came up this week. Houston ISD will not be allowed to implement its new teacher evaluation system until mid-September at the earliest after a judge temporarily blocked the policy Thursday morning. A Harris County judge issued a temporary … Continue reading →

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A couple of thoughts as the HISD school year starts

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board has them, and so do I. So, in the spirit of the first day, we are setting out three of our own classroom expectations and concerns. We’ll skip the niceties too. Miles needs to control the … Continue reading →

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Why does Mike Miles want classroom doors open?

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know. That seems to be a regular thing. Only a fence with holes and rotting wood planks stands between the back side of Coop Elementary School and the outside world. Last year, a man tried to scale it … Continue reading →

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About those HISD central office cuts

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

More illusion than reality so far, it seems. A cornerstone of Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans for overhauling the district — rapidly eliminating nearly 700 jobs in its “bloated” central office — appears to be exaggerated by the district’s … Continue reading →

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Recess is good

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see this. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles announced on Tuesday that he is changing the recess schedule at schools under the New Education System to allow for more unstructured play time for kids in response to a … Continue reading →

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So what exactly is the role of the Board of Managers?

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting hard to tell. Two months into the job, HISD’s new state-appointed school board has largely avoided the limelight since replacing the district’s elected trustees, making few extended comments in public and betraying no animosity within the group. The … Continue reading →

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More criticism of HISD’s library policies

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t going away. Prominent Houston political and faith leaders on Monday denounced Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plan to convert some libraries into discipline centers, adding to the growing chorus of critics opposing the change. Members of Congress, Houston … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner criticizes HISD’s library removals

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday blasted Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ plan to close dozens of school libraries and turn them into discipline rooms, alleging it was targeted at “selected communities.” In an impassioned speech at City Council, … Continue reading →

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What does Mike Miles have against libraries?

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I do not care for this. Superintendent Mike Miles, appointed in June by the Texas Education Agency to lead Houston ISD, will eliminate librarians and media specialists from the 28 campuses under his New Education System and an additional 57 aligned schools that opted … Continue reading →

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This is what I mean by building trust

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, HISD. Some Houston ISD teachers at schools in Superintendent Mike Miles’ New Education System were upset Monday morning to wake up to contract offers with lower salaries than what they expected and, in some cases, lower than what they earned before. … Continue reading →

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An HISD threefer

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

How much is discretion worth to a school principal? To Jessica Campos, Pugh Elementary School used to feel like a family. The 350-student school that her 10-year-old daughter attends had a tight-knit community with near-constant communication between staff and families, … Continue reading →

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Here are your volunteer “NES-aligned” schools

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

See if yours is on the list. Fifty-seven Houston ISD schools will voluntarily take part in Superintendent Mike Miles’ vision for reshaping campuses ahead of schedule, district officials announced Tuesday. The 57 campuses will comprise what Miles has coined the … Continue reading →

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You sure you wanna join the NES now?

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Consider your answer carefully. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles met with dozens of school principals Thursday to walk them through his plans for “wholesale systemic reforms” and offered those who signed up for his New Education System one last chance … Continue reading →

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Some schools want in on the Miles Plan

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not too surprising, all things considered. Over 50 Houston ISD schools voluntarily signed up for Superintendent Mike Miles’ sweeping New Education System, joining the 28 campuses required to be part of the reform program Miles launched his first day in … Continue reading →

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The politics of the Board of Managers

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Presenting this mostly without comment. A Houston Landing review of the newly appointed board’s political contributions, public statements and work history suggests the nine members likely will govern from the political center, avoiding education culture wars galvanizing the right and … Continue reading →

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The Chron asks the “will what Mike Miles is doing actually work” question

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Join the club. Superintendent Mike Miles has swept into Houston in recent weeks with confident claims that his strategies to overhaul the largest school system in Texas can quickly spur positive results at long-struggling schools. That’s mostly because his agenda … Continue reading →

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