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In hindsight, there was no other way this week could end, was there? A public board meeting disrupted by a massive storm that knocked out power to the Hattie Mae White building, leaving Mike Miles and the board sheltering in place with a few hundred of their biggest fans. I was already writing the screenplay for an apocalyptic Netflix series when they officially adjourned an hour later.
It was only the latest chapter in a whirlwind week at HISD, which began with a a bombshell report from a Dallas TV station that accused Mike Miles' former charter network, Third Future Schools, of using money from its Texas schools to subsidize its campuses in Colorado. Miles and Third Future have both denied the charges, and TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said that the report itself did not constitute evidence of any wrongdoing, though he referred the issue to the agency's complaints team — the first step in initiating a potential investigation.
Meanwhile, there were protests at several more HISD schools this week as angry community members demanded answers regarding the removals of beloved principals and other staff members. And we got our first look at next year's budget, which attempts to address an even bigger shortfall than anticipated. And I made my on-camera debut in a live interview with Miles for Chronicle subscribers, in which I came off as totally natural and not awkward at all.
Oh yeah, and that storm I mentioned earlier led HISD to close schools today, forcing students at dozens of schools to reschedule walkouts they had planned. Hope everyone's safe, and that we're able to return to school on Monday.
This Week's Must Read:
- My colleague Megan pored over hundreds of pages of documents to conduct a thorough analysis of the allegations in the Spectrum report. Her findings are worth your time.
After months of waiting, we were finally going to get our first look at the proposed budget for next year, and then that damn storm cut short last night's workshop before we'd even made it halfway through public comment.
Well fortunately, HISD released their proposal to the media yesterday evening, so the public will actually have a chance to look at it before the rescheduled workshop next Thursday. But the delay means it will be another week before the board and the community get to hear directly from Miles and his team on how their tax dollars will be used next year, with a deadline to approve the budget at the end of June.
The $2.1 billion proposed budget represents a $110 million decrease from last year's total, as over $323 million in federal pandemic relief money expires and state funding remains flat. Miles did not, however, say how many cuts he would make to close the $528 million deficit looming over the district, which is more than the $450 million shortfall he had previously predicted, but has pledged to keep them "as far away from the classroom as possible," meaning more cuts coming to the central office.
Schools are not totally immune. Non-NES schools would see their total share of the budget fall from $701 million to $686 million, with cuts of up to 12% at individual campuses. NES schools, meanwhile, would account for about a third of the budget, with $732 million allocated for 130 schools in the program. We still have not received individual campus allocations, however.
Read more about the budget and last night's workshop here, and comb through the proposal for yourself here.
What Else Happened This Week
 Photo by: Kirk Sides, Staff Photographer |
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 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer |
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 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer |
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 Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer |
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 Photo by: Yi-Chin Lee/Staff Photographer |
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 Photo by: Raquel Natalicchio, Staff Photographer |
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 Photo by: Michael Wyke, Contributor |
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The Calendar Ahead
• May 18: Non-NES campus hiring event at 8 a.m. at Delmar Fieldhouse
• May 27: Memorial Day school holiday
• June 5: Last day of school for students
Shoutout
Student's nonprofit delivers food
Layla Lee, a sophomore at Young Women's College Preparatory Academy, started a nonprofit, called Community Cuisine, to combat food insecurity in her community. The non-profit delivers food to those in need in the area, according to Houston ISD.
Lee, 15, applied to the Young Women's Leadership Challenge, a program that encourages students to start their own community service projects, after being inspired by a visit from the Pangea Network, an organization devoted to empowering women and young people,
Know a teacher, student or maybe even a principal who deserves a shoutout? Let us know here or by replying to this email.
Meet The Team
Photo by: Susan Barber
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Megan Menchaca, Sam González Kelly and Anastasia Goodwin. Assistant City Editor Jennifer Radcliffe also helps contribute to this newsletter.
You can reach out to any of them by emailing them at their firstname.lastname@houstonchronicle.com, filling out this survey or by replying directly to this email.
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