Several local and state leaders are now calling for stronger safeguards for students and educators at Houston ISD, as well as a clear pathway from the state takeover back to local control.
At a recent Houston ISD board meeting, a slate of elected officials stepped to the podium to discuss the ongoing Texas Education Agency takeover of the school district.
Some extended their support for HISD students who participated in a mass “sickout” in protest of the takeover and against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February. They also criticized the state’s crackdown on the student-led walkouts.
Immigrant students
Representing U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia’s office, Gloria Moreno urged the district to protect immigrant students.
“Schools have to be safe for every child, and there’s no exceptions to that,” Moreno said, adding that families are “afraid to come” and that students are “carrying that fear into classrooms”.
Moreno called for a single, clear policy on student protests applied consistently across campuses, arguing, “Free speech should not depend on your zip code.”
Having attended multiple student protests, State Rep. Christina Morales described fear among families.
“I am here to demand that HISD clearly and publicly affirm that our schools are safe for immigrant students,” Morales said.
She added that students are organizing because “they feel unheard” and unsafe.
“HISD should be a sanctuary, a place where every child knows they belong,” she said, urging board members to “show them you have their back or they will never trust you to lead them.”
Transparency
Texas State Senator Molly Cook discussed the appointed board’s transparency.
“For the past three years, this unelected board has struggled to be transparent or even obfuscate data from the public and parents about decision-making,” Cook said.
She cited “shockingly high” teacher turnover, a high student enrollment decline, and “frequent reports of spending concerns.” Cook called on HISD leadership to “boldly affirm that schools are safe for immigrant students and parents” and to avoid punishing students “more harshly for political activities and protesting.”
“You must ensure our schools remain welcoming and open to all students by rejecting policies,” she said. “If this board does not actively affirm values of protection and free speech, it affirms the opposite.”
City Council member Abbie Kamin relayed concerns about student absenteeism.
She said nearly 4,000 immigrant students, or about 22% of HISD, were not attending school out of fear.
“Our public schools must be institutions of trust,” Kamin said. “We are seeing civic engagement even through student-led protests…Specifically, I’m being told that NES [New Education System] students who have protested appear to be disciplined more harshly than those at other schools. So, I respectfully request leniency for these students that are engaging in our society.”
Spending
Locally elected HISD trustee Dr. Maria Benzon focused on governance and spending. She recalled administrators authorizing $870 million in spending without required board approval, after which the spending threshold was raised to $1 million “without elected oversight”.
“We’ve seen a $100 million spent replacing nearly new furniture and technology, $2 million on a district-run news station, and a tripling of central office staff earning over $200,000, while vital supports for homeless students, wraparound services, and autism programs were reduced,” Benzon added.
Benzon argued that HISD needs a bond but said the path forward requires restoring “local control with elected trustees.”
Trustee Michael McDonough struck a more measured tone, acknowledging both progress and concern.
“I don’t stand here with the singular focus that everything happening in HISD right now is bad,” McDonough said, noting that resources are going into neighborhoods previously overlooked.
Still, he called for leadership rooted in listening and partnership.
Other speakers included State Reps. Charlene Ward Johnson and Lauren Ashley Simmons.
“I patiently await the day that our school district is turned back over to us and that I can address elected trustees who feel accountable to our communities,” Simmons said, adding that despite being an HISD alum herself, she transferred her daughter to another school district. “There are communities that were broken and torn apart under your watch…We’re not here because we hate you. We’re here because we love our kids.”
Former Harris County Board of Education Board Member Danny Norris also weighed in. He compared teacher turnover and student enrollment decline in HISD to “Black people leaving the South.”
“…because things were very turbulent in the south. When teachers are leaving school districts, that’s typically there’s very big turbulence,” he said.
What Miles said
Superintendent Mike Miles praised teachers and principals for improving student achievement, arguing that failing to celebrate strong test results undermines trust and disrespects educators’ work.
While acknowledging that problems should be addressed, he said successes must also be applauded.
“I hope teachers and principals are hearing me, because they get the credit and they deserve whether they’re certified or not,” Miles said. “We’re going to stick with that until people can really understand the real work that’s going on and applaud our successes. Criticize the bad things, yes, but if you can’t applaud the successes, I don’t know how that builds trust.”
Miles highlighted positive feedback from families in a survey, noting that 84% of parents, based on 11,000 survey responses, said they would recommend their child’s school to others.
He also pointed to steady academic gains, explaining that across NWEA testing over two years, both student growth and overall achievement have increased, and more students are now reading and performing math at grade level.
