Houston ISD unanimously approved a plan to formally eliminate the graphic design and digital communications magnet programs at 10 high schools. Students, who are now in the eighth grade, would be redirected to the Barbara Jordan Career Center (BJCC), where they can access 16 programs of study leading to “high-wage” and “high-demand” jobs, per HISD.
School officials also reassured the board and the community that no current students will be impacted, students can choose whether to enroll in these programs, and none of the schools will lose their magnet status.
HISD policy requires the board to vote on changes to magnets, which also serve as CTE tracks. A vote isn’t required for non-magnet CTE changes. Therefore, the board only voted on magnet school changes at four schools: Heights, Kashmere, Northside, and Waltrip.
Superintendent Mike Miles said the changes are a part of “HISD 2026,” aimed at preparing students to be “college-ready.” He added that school sizes determine the number of programs students have access to. This is why schools like Wheatley, Kashmere, and North Forest have fewer programs than Lamar High School.
“We’re doing it in a way that makes sense, and that will help us become way more efficient, just like every other industry and business in the country.”
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles
“We’re doing it in a way that makes sense, and that will help us become way more efficient, just like every other industry and business in the country,” Miles said. “Wheatley kids should have access to 16 programs, at least 12.”
HISD expects its enrollment at the BJCC to grow from its 906 students to nearly 4,000 in the 2028-29 school year. The center will operate in shifts with 900 to 1,000 students on campus at a time.
What’s the proposal?
The proposal follows a fall 2025 labor-market study that analyzed Houston-area employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. District officials concluded that careers tied to the arts, audio-visual, and communications cluster, including graphic design and digital media, did not meet HISD’s thresholds for wages and employer demand.
As a result, HISD recommended that those programs be phased out. Under the plan, the programs will close one grade level at a time beginning in 2026-27, allowing current magnet students to complete their tracks, with the final class graduating in 2029-30.
Historical context
Houston’s magnet high school system traces its origins to the mid-1970s, when HISD began opening magnet schools as part of a voluntary approach to desegregation after decades of segregated schooling. HISD’s first magnet schools opened in 1975, offering themed academic programs to students from across the district.
Proposed changes to these programs, including the relocation or phasing out of certain tracks, have drawn strong responses from families and community members.
What parents said
While Miles defended the measure, parents and community members argued against it.
Parents argued that HISD did not engage the community in its decision-making process and expressed concerns about transporting their children to and from their campuses to BJCC. They said the logistics may cost students their classroom and lunch time.
Anthony Collier, a speaker, opposed the CTE overhaul plan and HISD’s plan to expand its facilities with a new center on the southside, using $180 million in lease-revenue bonds. This financing mechanism does not require voter approval.
“It [CTE changes] will force students to spend up to an hour on buses two to three times a week to access classes that are often already available on campus,” Collier said, adding the district should use the money to fix HVAC issues instead.
While acknowledging that providing more opportunities for students through BJCC “is a great idea,” parents said it should not require reducing existing pathways at local schools.
“Engagement starts before decisions are made, informing communities early and bringing together a representative group of parents and teachers to meet periodically to discuss options, gather input, and shape a plan that fits their school, working together towards successful implementation,” said Kim Hoyle, a parent.
HISD disagreed.
Gillian Quinn, HISD’s executive director of CTE, said the district accommodated extensive community feedback, including 300+ business partners, 560 parent surveys, leadership from the 10 schools, and community meetings.
What will change
- At Furr HS, graphic design and digital communications would be phased out, while diagnostics and therapeutics will shift to BJCC.
- North Forest HS will lose animal science and move automotive, HVAC, and networking to BJCC, maintaining its entrepreneurship, fire science, and JROTC programs.
- Booker T. Washington HS is phasing out plant science and upgrading to animal science, while sending networking to BJCC. It will maintain its engineering and JROTC programs.
- At Northside HS, graphic design is being eliminated, while entrepreneurship, digital communications, and JROTC remain.
- Heights HS will keep its JROTC, business management, digital communications, and web programming, but is losing its graphic design track and entrepreneurship.
- At Kashmere High School, marketing and sales will remain, but graphic design and entrepreneurship will be phased out, with networking moving to BJCC.
- Wheatley HS will lose its graphic design program, while networking and automotive programs are moved off campus.
- Waltrip HS will phase out both graphic design and digital communications, even as engineering, diagnostics and therapeutics, and entrepreneurship are expanded and shift to dual-credit. Networking and automotive will move to the BJCC.
- Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men will expand its CTE offerings by offering 16 programs at BJCC.
- Houston MSTC will phase out cosmetology and digital communications by 2026-27 and transition plumbing, automotive, health informatics, diagnostics, and therapeutics to BJCC.
