HOUSTON – Houston NAACP leaders have “deep concerns about the catastrophic conditions of HISD and the valid distrust of Mile Miles as the T.E.A. appointed superintendent of the district.”
Thursday community leaders shared the podium with Houston NAACP President James Dixon who said they’d all come together under the theme that the Texas Education Agency plan is failing the city’s children.
Dixon said collectively, they are committed to reclaiming the Houston ISD as a legitimate public education system and support the federal investigation called for by Representatives Sylvia Garcia and Al Green, who were both there.
“We believe that those investigations are very important and necessary to get to the bottom of what’s been going on, through the leadership of Superintendent Mike Miles. Certainly, we all agree that the present chaotic conditions and structure of apartheid at HISD disqualifies them to seek a bond proposal in the upcoming election cycle,” Dixon said.
Dixon called the district a graphic demonstration of taxation without representation.
Teachers are not safe. Students are not safe. Programs have been eliminated. They served our community. The schools are going backwards, not forwards. And we have come to say the TEA plan is failing.” Dixon said the coalition of leaders is not opposed to funding better facilities and services for students but they believe passing a bond would put money in the hands of a system that doesn’t have accountability with the state in charge.
”And until those things change, we are not going to allow a bond to pass. . .The powers that be need to know that when you pick on children, you wake up an army that will never go away until our children are safe, our teachers are safe, our employees are safe, and our community is safe. And to be safe, we’ve got to run out the culprits. That’s what we are doing as a part of this coalition,” Dixon said.
Miles has been dealing with a lot of controversy and discontent recently as his administration moves forward with changes he says will improve the curriculum and outcome for students and job cuts to close a budget gap of $528 million.
As part of the curriculum improvement, the district is not renewing contracts with a number of teachers and principals. They’ve yet to put a number around those job changes.