Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles has assured the public that no schools will be shutting their doors in the coming academic year, despite a fiscal outlook that prompts belt-tightening across the district's board. As reported by KTRK, HISD is facing financial hurdles due to dwindling enrollment, a drought in federal funding, and a state funding pipeline that’s dried up. Superintendent Miles is nonetheless holding steadfast to the commitment to keep every school open. "It's not fair to a community to close the school when we haven't tried to improve the instruction, the programming, or supported those schools," Miles asserted in a sentiment sure to resonate with HISD families.
But the Superintendent's reassurances do not veil the stark reality. To adjust to a fiscal environment without further cuts, Miles has warned that some schools will to see budget reductions by up to 12%, according to key points laid out in a recent Houston Chronicle report. The district is wrestling with the end of substantial federal pandemic aid and fewer students warming seats—if we are to borrow a colloquial measure of school activity and, by extension, budgetary health.
It’s not all gloom in the announcements: Miles has promised an eight-day extension to the school year and a $2,500 raise for teachers—a clear nod to the importance of those on the educational front lines. Yet, in the same breath, Miles concedes further slashes are imminent at HISD’s central headquarters. "It will cost us in other areas. I think it's a good investment," Miles mentioned, framing the cuts as a strategic sacrifice for greater returns, HISD shared with KTRK.
Adding to the complexity, HISD’s “New Education System” schools will continue to be funded, with even a touch of increment, juxtaposing the defunding narrative at the other schools. The reform-oriented framework brings along specialized roles like “teacher apprentices” and “learning coaches,” who, as Miles put it, are also the first to possibly be dismissed should the enrollment at NES schools not meet expectations. Principals at non-NES schools have been given liberty to staff their schools as they think best, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Further protests are expected as the community digests the full implications of the budget plan, with public discussions to unfold in multiple meetings leading up to the final budget’s due date in June. Meanwhile, education policy experts like Bob Popinski, Senior Director of Policy for Raise Your Hand Texas, are pointing fingers at the state legislature for failing to act amid HISD's fiscal storm—a perfect storm forged by various factors including the legislature’s own inactivity, the expert articulated in the words reported by the Houston Chronicle.
