HOUSTON — Protesters held a "read-in" and caused disruptions Thursday night at Houston ISD's regularly scheduled board of managers meeting to challenge changes being made to repurpose some of the district's libraries.
This comes as HISD is just weeks away from starting its school year.
At one point, community members literally turned their backs in protest on state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles as he presented to the board.
"It's chaotic, it's disruptive," one meeting attendee said. "The tension in that board meeting… the disharmony in that board meeting was palpable."
A hot topic at the meeting was Miles' plan to repurpose libraries at New Education System schools into so-called "team centers."
"There will be no places for these students to enjoy reading, to practice reading, to build the stamina they need in order to take these tests and pass these tests that everybody says is so important to them," former librarian Janice Newsum told KHOU 11.
Miles also addressed a top concern for many parents - staffing problems. He said the district has less than 100 teacher vacancies, down from 600 last year.
The board approved an amendment following up on a decision to increase Miles' discretionary spending power from $100,000 to $1 million. The amendment would require a quarterly report of any district contracts valued from $250,000 to $1 million.
Prior to the meeting, dozens of protesters sat in the district headquarters lobby to hold a "read-in."
“Once their students show up in school this year and they realize the effects of not having access to books, not having access to certified librarians and that sort of thing — I think we’re going to get a lot more traction because it becomes a lot more real when there are students in the classroom," HISD parent Sarah Honore said.
Protesters, including current and former students, said Miles should focus more on making sure all libraries have the resources they need.
“I’m just coming here to support my students, that are going to stay in HISD because they need the same freedoms I had when I was a student — I think libraries are important," protester Robert Day said.
Classes at Houston ISD start back up on August 28.