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The Latest Breaking News from Mike Miles

As the only Texas district to trigger potential state takeover, Austin ISD’s future now in TEA’s hands

Two middle schools received their fifth consecutive F grades from the Texas Education Agency.

The Texas Tribune

The Takeover Tab: State-Imposed Superintendent Buyouts Cost School Districts Big Bucks

And, critics of TEA takeovers say, those costs are just the beginning of expenses that come with state intervention but without state recompense.

Texas Observer

The ‘Houston Miracle’ Shell Game

How Houston ISD’s takeover regime inflated school accountability ratings by systematically holding back certain students

Texas Observer

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Will New School District Takeovers Follow the Model—and ‘Chaos’—of Houston ISD?

The state education agency took over four additional districts this spring, installing leaders linked to Houston’s state-imposed superintendent, Mike Miles, including two who worked for his former charter school network.

Texas Observer

Mike Miles Cancels Moonlighting Contract with His Former Charter School Network

Houston ISD says its state-appointed superintendent has ended a paid agreement with Third Future Schools, after the Observer obtained the contract and requested comment. A 2025 state law restricts moonlighting by superintendents.

Texas Observer

Mike Miles’ Former Charter School Network Expands Its Footprint in Texas

Some school district leaders say they believed they had only one option for a partnership to avoid state takeover.

Texas Observer

Strict schedules, long days, high pay: What Waco schools can expect from new charter operator

The Waco school district is expected to be the latest to contract with the charter operator founded by Mike Miles, the state-appointed superintendent of Houston schools.

The Texas Tribune

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Fort Worth ISD Parents Fear the Same Chaos that State Takeover Has Brought to Houston ISD

TEA intervention into locally controlled school districts has become increasingly common—despite mixed results.

Texas Observer

A Wave of School District Takeovers Could Be Coming. Some Past Interventions Ended with More Failing Schools.

Fort Worth ISD is among the districts that could join Houston in having its elected board deposed, while Beaumont and Edgewood ISDs offer a cautionary tale.

Texas Observer

The rise of dog-friendly cinema screenings: ‘We never have to break up fights – there’s enough trouble with the humans’

Pooches and their human companions are packing out ‘mutt-iplexes’. So what’s the appeal? One writer and his reluctant companion join 30 other dogs at a showing of The Fantastic Four to find out

The Guardian - UK

Will a STAAR-Crossed Legislature Finally Enact Real Testing Reform?

It’s on the agenda at the Texas Capitol, but advocates worry heavy-handed "accountability" will remain intact.

Texas Observer

Texas Education Agency extends Houston school district takeover through 2027

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath applauded the district for its improvements while citing the need for more time to “achieve lasting success for students.”

The Texas Tribune

Did Mike Miles’ Former Charter School Network Fail to Provide Required Classes?

A Third Future Schools-Texas elementary school in Midland has been accused of neglecting social studies and physical education.

Texas Observer

Many Texas schools take “wait and see” approach to Trump’s mass deportation plans

Schools near the border say it’s hard to prepare for the unknown. Immigration advocates say they should help communities understand students’ rights.

The Texas Tribune

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Texas Observer

Our Most-Read Stories of 2024

Online readership numbers are at least one tool to figure out what the Observer audience really loved.

Texas Observer

TEA Exoneration of Mike Miles’ Charter Schools Leaves Questions Unanswered, Raises New Ones

An agency report challenging media stories overlooks the charter schools’ compliance with federal tax and state business laws, on the watch of the now-HISD superintendent, while revealing new out-of-state payments.

Texas Observer

‘No Trust, No Bond’: Houston School Bond Fails amid State Takeover Backlash

“In my 33 years as an educator, I’ve never known teachers to come out against a bond. I’ve never seen so much community involvement and participation, mainly because we do not trust Mike Miles.”

The Texas Tribune

Election Day updates: South Texas continues dramatic shift toward Donald Trump, GOP

Texas might not be a swing state, but many of its races will have major consequences to the national political landscape and on the lives of everyday Texans.

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The Texas Tribune

Houston ISD superintendent didn’t illegally funnel state money to out-of-state schools, TEA says

The Texas Education Agency found that checks mailed to Miles’ charter school network in Colorado were eventually deposited into the network’s Texas account.

Texas Observer

Mike Miles Moved Texas School Funds to Colorado Through a Possible Shell Corporation Without a Paper Trail

An Observer investigation has found irregularities in how the Houston ISD superintendent's Colorado charter school nonprofit did business in Texas.

The Texas Tribune

Houston ISD superintendent accused of funneling tax dollars out of state

A state lawmaker and Houston residents urge the Texas Education Agency to investigate whether the state-appointed superintendent improperly sent public funds to out-of-state charter schools.

The Guardian - US

Library cuts and teachers quitting: Texas’s takeover of Houston schools

Staff call for removal of state-appointed superintendent amid 600 teachers resigning and implementation of rigid curriculum

Texas Observer

‘It’s Time for a Change’: Dem Behind HISD Takeover Faces Challengers

House Representative Harold Dutton Jr. stands behind the state takeover of the district. Can he survive another reelection after its fallout?

Texas Observer

‘Go Away TEA,’ Say Houston ISD Parents and Teachers

“We are professional educators. We demand to be respected.”

The Texas Tribune

Support for Houston ISD’s Spanish speakers has dwindled under state-appointed leader, parents say

For one reading class, Superintendent Mike Miles said instruction would focus on English, even if it meant risking state funding for dual-language programs. Parents say it goes further than that, adding that their kids are receiving no assistance in Spanish at all.

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