HISD superintendent Mike Miles gives 'State of the District' speech to teachers, leaders, but not parents

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — In the past two years, the HISD “State of the District” address faced protestors; this year, it slipped below the radar.

The yearly luncheon cost $250 to attend. The room was filled with district leaders, local business figures, and teachers. Houston Chronicle Senior Education Reporter Megan Menchaca was also there and said that Superintendent Mike Miles was warmly welcomed by the supportive crowd.

“There was no booing, there was no jeers. In the past, at Mike Miles’ first state of the district event, he was disrupted by protestors inside the room, and protestors were outside the room,” Menchaca said.

Menchaca was granted access by the event organizer, the Houston ISD Foundation, a non-profit focused on securing philanthropic funds for the district.

“Mike Miles gave a short speech, it was about a 20-minute address on preparing students to move towards an AI future and their past success on the TEA A-F Accountability ratings,” Menchaca said.

According to Menchaca, AI was a major focus of the event.

The district told ABC13 that the AI push is part of their new Accelerate Houston plan that includes accelerated math for middle schoolers, virtual options for high schoolers, and the launch of Future 2 schools.

Next school year, Future 2 schools will open at two campuses yet to be announced. They will serve students from pre-K through 8th grade and focus on advanced problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills to prepare them for a workforce increasingly centered on AI.

Menchaca, sharing Miles also brought up renovation of the Barbera Jordan Career Center and the building of a new south side career center as the district focuses on training more students to be at the digital forefront.

“The issue in HISD is that it’s so big that even if a student wants to attend the Barbera Jordan Career Center, if they live an hour away or attend school so far away, there aren’t many feasible way HISD from point A to point B and get them back in a timely fashion,” Menchaca said.

Menchaca shared that there was no mention of the district’s shrinking enrollment and how those numbers played a part in the closure of 12 campuses.

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HISD superintendent Mike Miles gives ‘State of the District’ speech to teachers, leaders, but not parents

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