In the end, all the walkouts, sickouts, emails to board members, and impassioned appeals to the Houston ISD Board of Managers came to nothing. The Board of Managers voted in another lengthy session that started Thursday afternoon and went into the wee hours to fire every teacher, principal and custodian that Superintendent Mike Miles wanted them to.

Be they longtime HISD employees, teachers or principals of the year, loved by parents and students, or guardians of high-performing schools — it didn't matter. At the end of this school year they're gone. As several speakers commented: they welcomed a new agenda for schools at the bottom of the academic rankings, but never anticipated that Miles and his New Education System program would go after A,B and C schools.

The vote was 8-0-1 with trustee Adam Rivon abstaining.

Miles lasted three years in Dallas ISD before leaving to work on his charter schools in Colorado. Despite cries of "This is Houston!" to general applause as if things would be different here , it doesn't appear that he'll be leaving this city and its school district any time soon.

Miles has said the changes are needed to give every student the opportunity to have a high-quality education. He has put particular emphasis on reading and math.

Bolstered by an appointed school board that approves almost everything he does, the superintendent is secure in his position. The only thing, it appears, that could possibly dislodge him from the superintendency is if the city's powers-that-be decide too much negative attention is being drawn to HISD and Houston itself.

"You're presiding over a purge," said Herrod Elementary parent Jeff Waltman, speaking to the board. "A drainage of human capital like this district has never seen. Because Mike Miles doesn't believe in people. He believes only his system, a proven failure that you'll share unless you find the courage to tell him no."

The complaints from the audience were many Thursday. Why was the meeting started at 4 p.m. which made it impossible for a lot of the public to show up at the beginning?  Why has there only been one workshop on the budget which by state law must be signed off on in June? Why  won't certain board members do public speakers  the courtesy of paying attention to them when they are talking (trustee Ric Campo was singled out for this one).

Several speakers questioned the increased amount of money for the NES program at a time when Miles has said there's a $528 million gap to fill mainly because of what Miles maintains is his predecessor's misuse of federal emergency COVID funds by plugging them into recurring costs like salaries.

The removal of librarians and the libraries that went with them as well as the termination of the wraparound specialists which have been replaced by Sunrise Centers that some complain are not accessible to everyone in the far ranging district in the way an in-school program was.

Susan Hawes ,who identified herself as HISD parent and  a longtime community assistance and no-profit volunteer said:. "I'm here to speak against cutting the wraparound services program. I have toured the Sunrise Center on Brock. It is w3ell-intentioned and staffed with good people. It was also nearly empty of clients. Sunrise Centers don't link families to existing services. They duplicate services. The same services that the Sunrise Centers  try to provide and many services  that they do not provide already exist in greater depth. that earned community support and deeper trust  for clients elsewhere."

Several speakers questioned why teachers and principals were being asked to resign or be fired saying the End of Year assessments that Miles had talked about through the year, haven't been released yet.

There will be a protest and march Saturday starting at 9:30 for participants and concluding at 11 a.m. in support of teachers and students in HISD.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Thursday June 13 at 5 p.m. when the board is expected to adopt the 2024-2025 budget.