The Texas Education Agency has concluded that there is no evidence that Houston Independent School District’s Superintendent Mike Miles used taxpayer money to fund his Colorado charter schools.
Miles became the state-appointed superintendent after TEA took over Houston ISD.
A media report alleged that Miles used 40 percent of $25 million in public funds on unspecified purchases and suggested that some of the funds were used to offset the debt of his Colorado charter schools.
The report also cited publicly available auditor’s notes that stated Miles’ Texas schools were in debt by 2.7 million at the end of 2023, and the debt was “caused by the liabilities of other Third Future Network schools” in Colorado.
State Rep. Ana Hernandez (D-Houston) sent a letter to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath to “urge an investigation into the alarming allegations regarding Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles’s use of state funds to pay for out-of-state school debts.”
Miles responded that the allegations made misrepresent the financial practices of Third Future Schools.
The TEA has released its report on the investigation and concluded that “the Partnering Districts and their operating partner, Third Future Schools – Texas, have not violated any applicable Texas laws.”
“Based on the evidence obtained and analyzed during the investigation, there is no merit to the allegations contained in the media reports that state funds were being inappropriately diverted from public school students in Texas via partnerships between the Partnering Districts and Third Future Schools – Texas,” reads the TEA’s report.
The report clarified that the investigation has concluded and that no further action will be taken by the TEA.
