HOUSTON — The Board of Education has unanimously voted to appoint Millard House II to serve as the next permanent superintendent for the Houston Independent School District.
"We are confident that he brings the leadership and innovation that we need to continue on improving our outcomes for the children of HISD," a board trustee said during the announcement. "Mr. House exemplifies all the key qualities outlined in our nation-wide superintendent search criteria which were developed with input from our HISD community."
When addressing the public for the first time as the lone finalist for the HISD superintendent position, House referred to a quote from John Maxwell that reads, "people buy into leaders before they buy into vision."
He then said he is going to do whatever it takes to make sure he makes a difference in the HISD community and the community abroad with the help of his team, referring to the Board of Trustees.
HISD Board President Dr. Patricia Allen said House is a great fit to serve the district as its next leader.
“As we regain our footing from a difficult year navigating the pandemic, it’s an opportunity to start anew and lay the groundwork for the important decisions and strategies we will need to implement to address the loss of learning and the mental and emotional toll our students and staff have experienced,” she said. “I am proud that our new superintendent will be inheriting a passionate, diverse, resilient team that is focused on investing in the whole child.”
The search for a new superintendent comes after former interim superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan was denied the permanent position and later accepted a job in Missouri.
The permanent superintendent position for HISD hasn't been filled since 2018.
Who is Millard House II?
Millard House II will be transitioning from Tennessee's Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.
He has been the Director of Schools for the district since 2017.
House is a Tulsa, Oklahoma native with almost three decades of education and nonprofit experience, according to the CMCSS website.
Before being selected as the CMCSS Director of Schools, he served as an Executive Consultant and Executive Director of New Leaders Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System in Charlotte and Deputy Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools.
House earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Montevallo, Alabama and his Master of Administration in School Administration from Northeastern State University, Oklahoma.
He also graduated from the Fisher School Leadership Program at the Hass School of Business, University of California at Berkeley.
How does CMCSS compare to HISD?
CMCSS is the seventh-largest district in Tennessee compared to HISD which is the seventh-largest school district in the U.S and the largest school district in Texas.
CMCSS serves over 36,000 students versus HISD which serves more than 196,000.
There are 42 schools in the district in CMCSS compared to HISD that has 276 schools.