Houston ISD’s $4.4 billion school bond issue was not approved Tuesday despite most voters’ acknowledgment that something needs to be done about the deplorable conditions in some of the HISD schools.
Two things at issue were the size of the bond — the largest in the district’s history — and whether voters trusted the leadership of state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles and his administration.
It was the first bond proposal since 2012 (that one for high schools only). Split into Proposition A — for building renovation, lead remediation, HVAC improvements and better security — and Proposition B for $440 million in technology. Renovations would also involve the “co-locations” of some schools which critics have said is just another term for closing down campuses. Pre-K would also be expanded.
The state appointed HISD Board of Managers in early August approved sending the measure to voters. There were almost no questions and little debate among board members, other than questions about whether the district really needed four Career and Technical Education Centers established.
A chunk of the public who frequently chanted “No trust, No Bond” at school board meetings were less accepting of the bond plan. They were joined in this by the Harris County Democratic Executive Committee and the Harris County Republican Executive Committee who each said voters should not approve the bond. The Houston Federation of Teachers and Community Voices for Public Education announced their opposition as well.
Some of the arguments against the sizeable bond included it being too much too soon, especially given the relative newness of Miles and his staff. Some contended the district was repairing schools that it might dispose of. It was pointed out that the amount of debt the bond will incur will take years for the district to pay off. HISD’s own bond financials show that with interest the total cost of the bond to taxpayers will be almost $9 billion over the next 30 years.
Those in favor of the bond included the Greater Houston Partnership and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
Since taking over the leadership of HISD, Miles has been the target of parent and teacher complaints for among other things, removing librarians from most of the HISD schools and installing his New Education System focused on daily testing and time restricted lessons. Critics also point to the mass exodus of teachers from the district who had either been fired or didn’t want to continue as NES measures were increasingly employed in the district.
Late Tuesday, Miles issued the following statement:
As you know, HISD voters did not vote to approve the bond proposal.
As the results came in on Tuesday, I kept thinking about a conversation I had with the Principal at Bonham Elementary School last week. She relayed how hopeful her community was – parents and staff – that the bond would pass. Their crumbling temporary buildings would finally be replaced with a safer, more appropriate facility. Bonham serves some of the highest need students in our community. They’re doing the hard work to improve instruction, and we as a community let them down.
For other families with students in crumbling buildings, I don’t need to tell you how badly we needed this bond. These investments should have been made years ago. In fact, we had not planned to advance a bond at all, but once we saw for ourselves the unspeakable conditions at many schools, it became obvious we could not fully transform this District without tackling our failing facilities.
In this instance, the politics of adults beat out the needs of our children. It’s unfortunate and wrong, but I want to assure you that it will not limit our ability to do the things that our students need. I know our most effective principals and teachers can reach students even in the worst of facilities, because they’ve been doing so for more than a year. Teaching and learning will continue, and we will continue to transform this District for all students.
I cannot promise our aging facilities and systems will never be a barrier to student learning. We will do our best to keep long expired heating and cooling systems running, but on very hot or very cold days, we are likely going to have to close campuses to keep students safe. More frequently, students are going to be forced to learn in conditions that are not ideal, in classrooms that are either too hot or too cold to learn comfortably.
Keeping schools safe will remain our top priority. The HISD Police Department and our Facilities and Maintenance Operations team is constantly searching for grant money, and we will be looking to the State of Texas to provide additional resources for school security. We will make these investments as soon as funds become available.
I will acknowledge, I was very optimistic about this bond proposal. There was a window of time before the board vote when we could have done what prior elected boards and administrations have done – which is to avoid hard choices and hope the future would take care of itself. We chose to go forward, because the conditions in our schools made it obvious – our kids cannot wait.
I believed this bond was a unique opportunity for this community to come together on behalf of its children. I’m sure many of you felt the same and are very disappointed in the result. I share your disappointment, but I also hope you will remain optimistic. Our accomplishments far outweigh our setbacks, and most importantly, we have and will continue to put the needs of our students first.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
