Houston Independent School District is gearing up for the new school year, and they are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the community is informed about their visions for the school year.
The HISD Board of Managers announced a series of Community Engagement Meetings, designed to provide parents, students, teachers, and the wider community a comprehensive insight into the district’s vision for the upcoming academic year.
The news, however, has been met with the same skepticism and distrust that many community members hold toward the district’s leadership.
“These community meetings are just a mere public relations stunt rather than genuine attempts to address the concerns of the people,” said retired nurse Christi Brewster. “At this point, they are just going to feed into whatever Mike Miles says he wants to do.”
These meetings are scheduled to take place across various HISD campuses and community centers, enabling easy accessibility for all stakeholders. The primary objective is to foster transparent communication, listen to concerns, gather suggestions, and establish a collaborative approach to enhance the overall educational experience within the district.
Busi Peters-Maughan, founder of the non-profit Women Healing and Empowering Women, said that her input might not lead to tangible outcomes nor will her concerns be considered.
“How can we trust them? We already had a taste of how they will behave at these board meetings,” she said. “On one hand they claim to have these so-called community meetings, but when it’s time to include us in the school board meetings, our voices are ignored. The board of managers are just puppets to the state. I’m not buying it.”
The meetings will feature presentations on various aspects of the district’s plans for the new school year. Topics will include curriculum enhancements, teacher development programs, school safety initiatives, and measures to address the challenges of the community.
Attendees are expected to participate in open discussions, ask questions, and offer their insights, but veteran teachers like Nelva Williamson feel that the board of managers can’t stand up to Miles on behalf of the people.
“I think that this unelected board of managers… is just going to give Mike Miles, Mike Morath and Governor Abbott what they want, which is to dismantle this district at the expense of our children,” she said. “And it’s infuriating to me.”
The schedule of Community Engagement Meetings is as follows:
- Tuesday, Sept. 5, 6-7:30 p.m. – Farias ECC (515 Rittenhouse St.)
- Wednesday, Sept. 6, 6-7:30 p.m. – Deady MS (2500 Broadway St.)
- Monday, Sept. 11, 6-7:30 p.m. – Energy Institute HS (3501 Southmore Blvd.)
- Tuesday, Sept. 12, 6-7:30 p.m. – Rodriguez ES (5858 Chimney Rock Rd.)
- Wednesday, Sept. 13, 6-7:30 p.m. – Virtual (link to come)
- Friday, Sept. 15, 6-7:30 p.m. – T. H. Rogers School (5840 San Felipe St.)
- Saturday, Sept. 16, 10-11:30 a.m. – Highland Heights ES (865 Paul Quinn St.)
- Monday, Sept. 18, 6-7:30 p.m. – Westside HS (14201 Briar Forest Dr.)
- Tuesday, Sept. 19, 6-7:30 p.m. – Madison HS (13719 White Heather Dr.)
- Wednesday, Sept. 20, 6-7:30 p.m. – Navarro MS (5100 Polk St.)
