HISD superintendent Mike Miles touts "historic" test gains; parents, teachers and council members press for data and actions

Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles told the Economic Development Committee that the district’s recent gains on state accountability measures were a historic reversal for a large urban district — but parents, teachers and union leaders who testified at the same meeting said the district’s methods and communications have damaged trust and left students and staff behind.

Miles addressed the committee after a scheduled HISD update and framed the results as broad academic progress, saying the district had sharply increased the number of A- and B-rated campuses and narrowed achievement gaps over two years. “We have broken the myth that ZIP code equals destiny,” Miles said during his presentation.

Why it matters: Public education outcomes affect the city’s workforce pipeline, tax base and long-term economic development. The committee heard competing claims: the superintendent described districtwide gains, while multiple parents, teachers and the Houston Federation of Teachers pointed to rising teacher turnover, falling enrollment and what they described as rapid, disruptive changes to curriculum and campus staffing.

What Miles presented

Miles told the committee that Houston had gone from many D and F campuses to a much larger share of A and B campuses, asserting that 74% of HISD students now attend A- or B-rated schools and that no HISD student was on an F-rated campus in the latest accountability cycle. He described a “culture of insistence” on instructional fidelity, higher salaries and a pay-for-performance system intended to reward effective teachers.

Miles acknowledged that the district faced budget pressure after one-time federal ESSER funds were used for recurring expenses before his…