'We will continue to act boldly and with urgency': HISD Board of Managers approve superintendent contract, officer slate

The first official meeting of the newly formed Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Managers on Thursday saw the state-appointed body approve a temporary contract to Superintendent Mike Miles. 

Miles, a previous superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD), himself was also selected by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to helm the state’s largest public school district.

Houston NPR affiliate Houston Public Media (HPM) reported that Miles wasn’t present for much of the meeting except for when the board of managers took up his contract. 

"On day one we began the process of implementing system-wide reform to improve student outcomes for all HISD students,” Miles said in a report from Houston FOX affiliate KRIV. “We’ve already started the work in our New Education System schools." 

"We will continue to act boldly and with urgency to eliminate the decades-old achievement gaps for black and brown students and provide a diverse set of education experiences to prepare all HISD graduates for the year 2035 and beyond," he added.

KRIV reported that the board elected its slate of officers for the 2023-2024 academic year, the first of the takeover. 

According to the station, Audrey Momanaee will serve as president, Ric Campo as vice president and Angela Lemond Flowers as secretary. 

The board of managers was formally announced on June 1, the day when the TEA officially assumed control of HISD.

HPM reported that the meeting was not without tension, as those in opposition of state intervention gathered to protest.

Per HPM, about 150 protesters were at HISD’s headquarters just before the meeting convened and were very vocal throughout.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City) was among the slew of people who spoke to the crowd.

"I think this board of managers that only has accountability to the TEA commissioner Mike Morath, who only has accountability to basically Gov. Abbott, is out of touch with many of the black and brown communities in HISD," the lawmaker said, HPM reported.