It was a PDA rarely seen at a Houston ISD board meeting. In fact, it’s hard to recall any other time that a group of parents and students have been so demonstrably happy with Superintendent Mike Miles.
Thursday night, in an expected unanimous vote, the Board of Managers approved Miles’ proposal that four of the district’s top-performing schools will break away from direct operation by the district. They will instead be given “autonomy” and be governed by independent non-profit boards of their own choosing, all made possible by Senate Bill 1882.
Subject to a review by the Texas Education Agency and beginning with the 2026-27 school year, The Kinder High School For the Performing and Visual Arts will be operated by HSPVA Friends. Challenge Early High School will be operated by Friends of Challenge Early High School.
Friends of The Houston Academy For International Studies will operate The Houston Academy For International Studies. Friends of Energy Institute High School will operate Energy Institute High School.
The board also approved a contract with Collaborative for Children to operate prekindergarten partnerships throughout the district.
The contracts that were approved have not been made public. The Houston Press was told by an HISD public relations officer to submit a Public Information Request. When a few parents were questioned about whether they had seen the contracts, they said no they hadn’t, but were clearly unbothered by that. According to the template laid out by the TEA, contracts will cover not only financial aspects but how the schools will meet the needs of their student bodies.
For almost all of those assembled, it was considered a win-win. Parents and educators fearing Mile’s ever expanding New Education System of daily tests and rigidly structured days could dodge that bullet. Miles could say that these schools had demonstrated how strong they were academically and should be allowed to continue to innovate. By doing so, he could avoid complaints that his system doesn’t meet the needs of some of the best and brightest students at their schools.
Dr. Priscilla Rivas, principal of Kinder HSPVA addressed the group, beginning by pointing out that the school was founded in 1971 as an innovative campus. “SB 1882 represents a new frontier for us with untapped possibilities for innovation in how we strengthen our arts and academic programming but also in how we operate. The added autonomy will help us make thoughtful, student-centered decisions. “
Supporters like Janis Jarosz, board chair of HSPVA Friends also touted the professional credentials of their boards to underline their assertion that they will be fully capable of running a school. “Ten of us hold advanced degrees and 11 have extensive nonprofit board experience. “
Still there remained some voices urging caution. Parent Melissa Yarborough repeated the question of many critics at last week’s board meeting, as to why Miles couldn’t just give the schools the autonomy they want instead of handing their operations over to outside groups. “All of the parents who are speaking in favor of the 1882 partnerships tonight, all I hear them asking you for is autonomy and the ability to continue doing what they already do — what public high schools have done long before Miles ever set foot in Houston.
“They know Mike Miles’ system is bad and they don’t want it for their kids and they are just asking to keep his bad policies away from their children. Why are you forcing them into these partnerships?”
Elected HISD board member Maria Benzon speaking on Zoom said “Superintendent Miles could grant autonomy today, without chartering, without someone else controlling budgets, curriculum and policy but he chooses not to.” She said Miles is using 1882 to “placate families at high achieving [schools.]. That is not innovation. That is the destruction of public education dressed up as reform.”
Miles at the March 19 meeting said that these 1882 partnerships were not charters. But that is exactly how they are described in the Texas Education Agency’s information about 1882 partnerships.
Others are unsure of how the finances will be handled. The schools will get about $1,400 per student (20 percent of which will go to other students in the district) which will enable more field trips, more extensive projects. But all that money will be overseen by outside boards and if something goes wrong, HISD will be liable, parent Ann Eagleton said.
At the March 19 meeting Orlando Riddick, recently appointed chief of strategic initiatives, also discussed possibly moving the 1882 program to middle and elementary schools. Three other high schools had been deemed qualified to apply to apply for the program, but chose not at least for this year: DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Carnegie Vanguard High School and Eastwood Academy High School.