[en español clic aqui] Join us this Saturday!

Join us on SATURDAY, April 19, for a CVPE meeting from 2:30-4:30 PM at First Unitarian Church, 5200 Fannin St. after the noon City Hall protest. We will talk about Miles’ false data narrative, the implications of the passage of the voucher bill   and about upcoming school board elections in May and in Nov (HISD and Cy-Fair.) RSVP at houstoncvpe.org/events

Julie Cole, TEA’s Director of Policy and Publications- Student Assessment, provided clear TEA Guidance that if a parent opts out of STAAR, the district should keep documentation—ideally a letter from the parent—and mark the test “S” for score.  No make-up STAAR or placing the student in front of the STAAR is required. 

But Miles is ignoring that. He’s told administrators to put the STAAR in front of kids anyway — even with an opt-out letter on file. 

As always, his decisions deepen inequality—this is mostly happening at NES and high-poverty schools. Why change policy in secret, forcing nine-year-olds to choose between obeying their mother or a school official? It’s unconscionable.

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And just as he disregards families’ rights around STAAR, Miles is dismantling the very support systems families rely on.

Last year, HISD had several hundred Wraparound Specialists. This spring, only 44 remained. Yesterday, he eliminated the entire department.

The irony? On Wednesday, Miles and the Board of Managers approved an additional $3 million for communications—to fund his vanity news station and expand HISD’s PR team. Then they used that same spin machine to justify cutting wraparound specialists, claiming it would “maximize resources” at Sunrise Centers—centers that few families actually use.

Forgive us, but it raises the obvious question: Why not use that $3 million to preserve a proven support system like Wraparound instead?

Eliminating Wraparound is an insult to Houston’s Community Partners who work tirelessly to secure vital funding to help Houston schoolchildren succeed.

It’s a betrayal of our children—who deserve more than a bare desk and endless test prep.