Parents, teachers press Humble ISD on vouchers, reading materials and district legal spending

At the Feb. 18 Humble ISD board meeting, public comment covered concerns about proposed private-school voucher schemes, the district's choice not to adopt certain state-provided reading materials this year, and recent district legal spending tied to Title IX investigations and administrative actions.

Why it matters: Public commenters urged trustees to defend public school funding and to prioritize instructional materials and classroom needs. Several speakers also criticized what they described as costly legal and personnel decisions and asked the board to pursue accountability and transparency.

Key public remarks and themes - School vouchers and public funding: Stacy Ward, past state president of the Association of Texas Professional Educators and past president of Humble A.T.P., told trustees that redirecting public tax dollars to private schools would harm an underfunded public system and questioned whether ‘‘choice’’ is meaningful when private schools may deny students and typically do not provide services such as transportation or special education. Donald Sampling, a longtime district resident, provided district funding figures and an example calculation to show the potential fiscal impact if students leave public schools for private options.

- Reading materials and literacy: Jeanne Allen, a district reading and dyslexia specialist, urged the board not to reverse course and adopt a different basal-reading series without teacher and community input. Allen criticized reliance on three-cueing (Fountas & Pinnell) methods and urged a strong, research-aligned reading program and use of state-provided screeners and materials.

- Legal spending and accountability: Multiple public speakers and trustees addressed the large sums the district has spent on outside counsel and investigators tied to Title IX and personnel matters. Larissa Powell cited open-records activity and asked whether cleared staff members would be reinstated or receive apology; other speakers called for financial accountability and for the board to address perceived wasteful expenditures.

Other public-comment topics Speakers also called for increased voter awareness for school-board elections, applauded Career and Technical Education (CTE) staff and student programs, and commended newly recognized teachers, counselors and volunteers such as WatchDOG volunteers and UIL state champions.

Context and next steps Trustees acknowledged public concerns and debated next steps during the meeting. Mr. Sitton repeatedly asked for clarity on the scope and approvals for outside audits (naming Ahuja and Clark) and asked the administration to provide a closed-session update to trustees about the audit work. Ms. Lamond Dixon requested a closed-session briefing on Ahuja and Clark. The board received and approved several consent items but also agreed to provide follow-up reports to trustees on audits and procurement work as requested by individual trustees.

What was not decided Public commenters asked for policy changes (for example, opposing vouchers and pushing for adoption of particular reading materials). The board did not adopt new reading materials or change district policy during this meeting; public comment items were heard and referred to appropriate processes or future agenda items when applicable.