For the first time in over a year, Houston Independent School District’s state-appointed superintendent appeared before the city council to present the district’s progress and answer questions from city leaders.
Superintendent Mike Miles’ presentation centered on his administration’s push to raise student achievement, outlining reforms already underway and those still to come.
“The biggest thing this administration and our teachers and principals have done is we’ve given the whole public education system and this city a chance to believe that hard things can be done, that the achievement gap can be closed,” Miles told council members.
He pointed to gains in the Texas Education Agency’s accountability ratings as proof of progress. Last year, 121 of the district’s 271 campuses were rated “D” or “F.” Under state leadership, Miles said, there are now zero “F”-rated schools and only 18 “D”-rated campuses.
After his presentation, Miles fielded nearly an hour of questions from council members.
He defended several of the district’s more controversial decisions, including keeping classroom doors open during instruction and a plan to implement a pay-for-performance system for teachers beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.
Miles also stood by the district’s decision to spend $350,000 on a recent billboard campaign. According to Houston ISD, the 18 billboards placed around the city were designed “to celebrate the incredible hard work and academic gains of our students and educators, while also inviting more families to learn about and enroll in our schools.”
Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum pressed Miles on concerns she said she’s heard from parents and staff who doubt the authenticity of the district’s reported test score improvements. “I’ve received numerous communications from Houston residents who don’t believe the district has had nearly as much achievement success as the supposed scores from the TEA would indicate,” she said.
Miles pushed back, saying the evidence speaks for itself. “There’s no denying when a kid can read at grade level and couldn’t read before,” he responded. “There’s a lot of pride and joy in that, and [parents] don’t doubt the data, because there’s so much data — NWEA, NAEP, DIBELS [and] STAAR — that says the same thing, so those are the people that we focus on. Those are the people that we listen to.”
Councilmember Edward Pollard raised another issue, noting that some high-performing schools have seen declines under Miles’ leadership and want to return to their former teaching styles.
Miles acknowledged that magnet campuses have some level of autonomy, but said curriculum and instruction are district-wide responsibilities. “Our job is to educate all kids while I’m in charge,” he said, while also pointing out that only a small number of schools saw scores drop this year.
Roughly 20 parents spoke during the public comment period, with most criticizing the lack of transparency around the accountability system and accusing Houston ISD of rolling out changes in a disorganized and disrespectful way.
Just last week, Miles was awarded a $173,660 bonus by the board of managers, which rated him 91.4 out of 100 on his evaluation. Sixty percent of his score was tied to student achievement goals, with the remaining 40 percent based on leadership and vision. The bonus brings his total compensation for the 2025-2026 school year to more than $635,000.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
