Three years into the takeover, it may seem like we are simply fighting against a top-down experiment imposed on our children and our city. We are not.
On Sunday, an HISD valedictorian stepped to the podium and began her graduation speech speaking from her heart. She talked about what school should feel like—meaning and purpose, joy and connection, real learning and even fun. She spoke about having those things at her school before it was turned into NES.Then, before she could finish her thought, her principal walked across the stage, removed the top page of her speech, and left only the “approved” version.
That is why we fight.
We are fighting for schools that inspire our children. We are fighting for public education because it is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy. We are fighting for schools where students are encouraged to think, question, create, and speak in their own voices. How we treat the youngest and most vulnerable among us matters.
Speak at the Thursday HISD Board of Managers meeting of the year for this brave valedictorian.
Tell them what you are fighting for. Who you are fighting for. And why it matters.
Step-by-step instructions to register to speak are here. The agenda packet is here. Summaries of selected agenda items are below. But you do not have to read any of that. Just tell your story. Honestly, you could close your eyes and randomly pick any agenda item from the 300-page agenda packet.
Item 3: Board Monitoring Update on TSI Readiness. This comes after Miles moved thousands of NES 11th graders out of Algebra II and into a remedial course where students can be counted as TSI complete simply by finishing the class, even if they never pass the TSI exam.
Item 5: Approval of the 2026-27 budget. This is a legal requirement. The budget and the budget amendment are both missing from the packet. You cannot approve a blank piece of paper, a fantasy or a delusion.
Item 11 renews the waiver allowing an uncertified superintendent to lead HISD. While teachers and students face increasing certification and performance requirements, the district's top leader remains exempt from the profession's most basic credential. The contradiction speaks for itself.
Items 19 & 22: HISD plans to move roughly 5,000 students with disabilities without individualized review of their needs, raising serious concerns about predetermination and violations of federal disability law. It is also deeply unkind to children who need stability the most. Yet the agenda offers no meaningful attention to students with disabilities beyond transportation and outside provider contracts.
Item 20: Student Code of Conduct. This item would give the superintendent authority to change the Code of Conduct between board meetings, reducing oversight of policies that directly affect students. It also allows suspensions and DAEP placements for "substantial disruption," a subjective standard that can lead to inconsistent enforcement and disproportionate discipline.
Item 23 allows HISD to apply for rifle-resistant body armor. This is a futile arms race against bad gun laws.
Item 25: HISD is retroactively approving all donations received since August 11, 2023. Timely approval isn’t bureaucracy for its own sake. It’s one of the few moments the public can see and shape how outside resources enter the system. HISD Superintendent Mike Miles previously failed to obtain required board approval for $870 million in contract spending over a 16-month period, bypassing district policy from 2023 through January 2025.
Item 34: Certification waiver for teachers, counselors, and assistant principals. The cover sheet asserts "STAFFING IMPLICATIONS: None," which is clearly inaccurate on its face. The entire purpose is to fill positions with uncertified staff. Research consistently shows that certified, experienced teachers improve student success, while uncertified teachers are most often placed in high-poverty and newcomer schools. Alongside the superintendent waiver, it reveals a clear double standard: accountability for teachers, none for leadership.
Items 35 & 42: Proposed revisions to HISD’s AI policy remove key guardrails on student use of artificial intelligence. They delete language stating that “the use of AI shall only be as a support tool… and shall never take the place of teacher and student decision-making,” and remove expectations that “students shall produce original work and properly credit sources, including AI tools used in creating the work.” The policy is on pp 279-280 and the deletions are on p 250.
Item 46: This item creates new promotion requirements for kindergarten and 2nd grade students. High-stakes retention in early grades is one of the more contested practices in the research literature; effects on long-term achievement are mixed-to-negative and retention is a strong predictor of dropout rates with retained students disproportionately Black, Latino, students with disabilities, new language learners and low-income children.
Before adopting a policy with such serious consequences, the district should explain the evidence supporting it and the safeguards that will prevent disproportionate harm. Let's call this what it is. Miles wants to manipulate accountability ratings at the expense of students.
This process may be broken, but silence only makes it worse. Our children, our city, and our future are worth one hour of your time.
Sign up by noon on Wednesday to speak on Thursday, in person or on Zoom. One minute. Say what needs to be said.
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