HOUSTON — Students will be back in Houston ISD classrooms in just a few weeks and on Thursday night, the newly appointed district leadership continued to take a lot of heat from parents, teachers, and the community at a regularly scheduled board meeting.
The superintendent and board of managers reviewed a number of policies at the meeting. Superintendent Mike Miles appears to be cutting through red tape when it comes to approval for things like expenses. With the start of the academic year right around the corner, Miles' is holding firm that these changes are in the best interest of HISD students
Those in attendance at Thursday's meeting seemed to not be fully convinced of that.
Miles was present for public comments where speakers voiced their concerns on various agenda items and new policies, many of which have come under fire.
Among those policies is Miles' plan to repurpose libraries in New Education System schools in the district into "team centers," spaces used at least in part for discipline, though it's not yet clear how much.
The district has also said it will no longer have dedicated librarians for those schools.
Miles commented on the libraries Thursday night, saying that the centers would be used for learning as well. He later confirmed that the books would be staying in those spaces as well.
“That’s what a Team Center is… it’s where the work happens for proficient and accelerated kids. Learning coaches help. And when you see 150 sixth-graders in the room annotating, reading independently, working hard, that’s something to see," Miles said.
Another question was about the district seeking a waiver from the TEA to hire uncertified teachers.
Miles said most teachers will be certified except for a select few.
"We have been airing on the side of certifications,” he said. “As you can see, we've hired what 800 people over the summer, and when only have 84 at this point, teachers we want to waive certifications for.”
The first day of school for the district is August 28.