Superintendent Mike Miles’ statement following the defeat of the $4.4 billion board issue that parents had let their kids down by voting against the measure, was roundly rejected by one speaker after another at Thursday night’s school board meeting
Instead, the more than 130 speakers including state Rep. 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.