Dallas, TX
Houston ISD’s new state-appointed superintendent wants to use the same polarizing approach he applied in Dallas schools
/static.texastribune.org/media/files/7d40396de84324cbbd01e87fd8fc5ec2/Wheatley%20HISD%20PY%20TT%20352.jpg "Houston ISD’s new state-appointed superintendent wants to use the same polarizing approach he applied in Dallas schools")
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Mike Miles, the new state-appointed superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, started his tenure in a manner eerily similar to how he ended his embattled time in charge of Dallas Independent School District: with everyone asking where he was.
During the first Houston ISD school board meeting led by the board of managers that the Texas Education Agency appointed as part of the state’s recent takeover of the district, many community members were upset they didn’t see Miles until he came in the very end. Eight years ago, after a tumultuous three years as superintendent of the Dallas ISD, Miles didn’t show up to his last board meeting.
Already, the manner in which Miles has begun his new position in Houston is drawing comparisons with his short-lived stint in Dallas. Within a week of being appointed to lead Houston ISD, the largest school district in Texas, Miles announced an overhaul of certain campuses and a new program that will pay teachers more to work with students struggling academically, steps that resemble his approach during his last superintendent gig.
But while his management methods laid the foundation for some future success in Dallas ISD, they also left behind various scandals, caused veteran educators to leave the district and ultimately didn’t result in significant academic gains.
The TEA announced earlier this month it would place Miles at the helm of the state’s largest school district after years of poor academic outcomes at a single campus in the district, Phillis Wheatley High School; allegations of misconduct against school board members; and the ongoing presence of a conservator who’s been overseeing the district for years. Despite community opposition, the agency says those problems required it to take over the school board and replace the elected members with temporary, hand-picked board members.
Miles’ job is to get the district back on track in accordance with TEA standards. Already, the former Dallas ISD superintendent has announced sweeping changes to 29 schools that historically serve some of Houston ISD’s lowest-performing students. Wheatley is among this crop of schools.
These schools will be placed under Miles’ so-called “New Education System,” which he describes as an “innovative staffing model that puts the focus on classroom instruction and improved student outcomes.”
At the schools that will be included in the program, all teachers and other employees will need to reapply for their jobs. For those teachers hired in these campuses, the average salary pay could reach $95,000 a year once incentives based on test results and stipends are thrown in. Such paychecks would represent a 61% increase in pay from the average teacher salary in Texas.
Under the program, Miles will also relocate librarians from those schools to other campuses, saying that his staffing priorities will be on those employees who will help students read, write and do math, according to the Houston Press.
Miles plans to cut 200 jobs from the district’s administrative offices to pay for these higher salaries.
“We will be aligning our resources — especially our most effective teachers and principals — to better serve students in underserved communities,” Miles said in a statement. “For students who need to catch up and in schools that have failed for years, we will be offering more instructional time.”
Miles did not respond to an interview request. He intends to host several community meetings to explain his plan.
Miles’ vision and his plan to get there align with the emphasis that TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and some lawmakers have put on grading school districts largely based on scores from State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests. Morath himself served as a Dallas school board member when Miles was in charge of Dallas ISD and was one of the few board members with whom Miles had a good relationship.
Miles’ plan for Houston ISD is similar to a program he started in Dallas before he resigned with two years left on his contract. That program, which launched after Miles resigned, gave teachers huge pay bonuses if they boosted standardized test scores in some of the campuses with the biggest needs. Some low-rated campuses saw improvements as part of the program, but scores fell again once funding dried up and teachers left because they weren’t getting paid the same.
Other school districts across the state implemented the program after its early success in Dallas.
Miles also was the driving force behind revamping the school district’s teacher evaluation system, which was used to calculate teacher pay based on a mix of test results, student feedback and performance rather than experience. Miles plans to implement a similar teacher evaluation system in Houston.
Dallas still uses this evaluation system but questions over equity have arisen as most of these high-qualified teachers were not going to the schools that needed them the most.
Similarly, lawmakers passed the Teacher Incentive Allotment program in 2019, which rewards teachers with salaries of up to six figures based on their students’ performance. About 13,000 teachers, or about 4% of the state’s educators, are currently part of the program.
In Dallas, the program received support from the majority of the board, including Morath, and from then-Mayor Mike Rawlings. But many teachers warned that they would leave the district if they received pay raises only based on tests taken once a year. Miles called his system the most rigorous in the U.S. at the time.
David DeMatthews, an associate professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas at Austin who has followed Miles’ career, said that while he believes testing is important, he hopes Miles doesn’t solely focus on getting standardized test scores up as it could lead to another exodus of teachers at a time when Texas schools are struggling to find and retain teachers.
In Texas, students’ STAAR test results are used to score schools on how well they are educating children. Critics of the test say it is not a great indicator of how well a child knows a subject and that its high-stakes nature adds undue pressure to both test-takers and teachers.
“It’s not an effective management tool to say that test scores are going to be the driver of reforms,” DeMatthews said. “Test scores don’t predict all that much about what happens to students in the future.”
Scandal after scandal in Dallas
Miles arrived in Dallas in 2012 after a successful stint with a small school district in Colorado. He spent six years with the Harrison School District and led its schools to academic success, applying a similar teacher evaluation program as the one he used in Dallas and is now trying to implement in Houston.
He spent only three years at Dallas, leaving after he failed to negotiate changes in his contract, according to The Dallas Morning News. He wanted to forbid school board members from searching for a new superintendent while he finished out his last year and wanted access to a retention bonus.
The Morning News described his time at the district as “turbulent,” saying it brought “disruption” and “controversy.”
His tenure was overshadowed by his administration picks and the scandals they brought along. He hired employees from Colorado and paid them six-figure salaries, more than twice what they were making before.
Jerome Oberlton, Miles’ chief of staff, resigned after facing a federal indictment and later pleaded guilty to taking kickbacks in a prior job in Atlanta Public Schools. Miles’ head of human resources, Carmen Darville, resigned after instant messages between her and another executive became public, which poked fun at race, religion and age and discussed ways to get rid of employees.
Darville worked at Houston ISD before going to Dallas to work under Miles and is now the chief operating officer at YES Prep Public Schools, a charter school operating in Houston.
Also, an investigation found that Tonya Sadler Grayson, an executive director in Dallas ISD’s human resources department, lied about her criminal history, bullied a co-worker and falsified a report that was given to trustees. She was hired during Miles’ tenure.
Miles himself also violated district policy, according to the Morning News.
In 2012, Dallas officials found that Miles and other managers broke human resources rules by hiring people before those positions were publicly posted and before those candidates had undergone criminal background checks.
He also didn’t have a great relationship with many school board members. The Morning News at the time revealed that Miles secretly helped write a resignation letter for a district employee that gave him praise but disparaged other members, creating friction between Miles and the board.
And one time, Miles had Dallas police remove Bernadette Nutall, then a school board member, from a middle school she was visiting. Nutall had gone to see what was going on at the school after Miles replaced the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers. Nutall’s removal from the school prompted a district investigation.
Under Miles’ leadership, Dallas ISD consistently met the standards set by the state’s accountability system but failed to show any significant gains in standardized test scores. In some subject areas, test scores decreased and never really came close to reaching state averages. The number of schools that were in good standing with the state also dropped, while the number of failing schools increased.
The turnover rate for teachers increased from 12% to 22% during Miles’ first two school years at Dallas.
“Miles’ approach created a ton of controversy in Dallas ISD and it did lead to an increased rate of teacher turnover relative to the rest of the state,” DeMatthews said. “Hopefully, he learned his lesson in Dallas.”
Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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When Brock Purdy took over as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Trey Lance was left without a spot. That led to a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, who sent a fourth-round pick to the 49ers for the former North Dakota State quarterback.
Adding Lance wasn’t a bad idea on the surface, since he was the No. 3 overall pick in 2021. The problem was that Dallas gave up a fourth-round pick when it appeared there were no serious contenders for Lance.
The trade doesn’t look any better given the fact that Lance is sitting on the bench while Cooper Rush starts in place of an injured Dak Prescott.
MORE: Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy comments on Giants’ release of QB Daniel Jones
Despite this, Stephen Jones believes the team made the right move. While speaking on 105.3 The Fan, he even said they would do the trade again.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on @1053thefan when asked about getting the return on investment in trading for Trey Lance:
“Yeah, we’d do that again. He’s a top tier pick. A guy we had at the top. Dak (Prescott) was coming up for contract. We wanted to take a look at a good, young…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 22, 2024
Ironically enough, the Cowboys said repeatedly that adding Lance had nothing to do with Dak Prescott. Now, Jones is admitting that was a factor in their decision.
Dallas also never truly gave Lance an opportunity. He was the inactive third quarterback all season in 2023, with Rush playing in garbage time games. Not only did they get no look at him during his first season with the franchise, but he’s now only played in spot duty.
Lance has completed 4-of-6 attempts for 21 yards with one interception. He’s also picked up 17 yards on three attempts.
Such a low usage proves the coaching staff doesn’t believe Lance has the ability to be a starter. Even so, Jones would do the trade all over again.
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First Shift 🏒
The Stars had the best road record in franchise history last season.
Looking back, it’s difficult to pin down exactly why.
Obviously, this is a good team and had the second-best overall record in the NHL, so the 26-10-5 mark away from home was a big part of that. But as they try to follow that up this season and are off to a 4-4-0 start on the road, there is no real magic formula they can return to.
“We just have to play our game, it doesn’t matter where we are playing,” said Duchene. “You guys always look at the home and road and think there’s something to it, but there’s nothing to it to us.”
The Stars have an 8-2-0 record at home, including one “home” loss in Tampere, Finland. Last season, they sometimes struggled at home, including a 4-6 mark at American Airlines Center in the playoffs. So how is it they are having such a great start this year?
“It’s hard to say,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said when asked about the issues on the road. “It’s like our home record this year. It’s not like we’re doing anything different, we’re just winning games. When I look at our road games this year, we’ve played some really good teams.”
Among the road losses are Florida, Winnipeg and Washington – three of the top 10 teams in the league. That’s important as they head out on a three-game road trip with contests against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. Both are traditional Eastern Conference powers.
“It’s a great test,” DeBoer said. “In the next five games, we have Colorado, Winnipeg, Tampa and Carolina, top teams in the league. So those are great tests for us.”
That can be a huge portion of the midseason for the 12-6-0 Stars.
“I think it can be a turning point,” said goalie Jake Oettinger. “We’ve had an up and down start. Our record is pretty good but I don’t think we’ve played our best yet. These are some great tests on the road.”
Did Oettinger have an explanation for posting an 18-6-2 road record last season?
“Personally, for me, you need to be able to weather storms and close out games,” Oettinger said. “Those are all things we can get better at this year.”
Doing it now would be ideal.
“I always think we have our best against some of those top teams,” said Duchene. “We love that challenge, because those are the teams we’re going to need to beat if we want to achieve our ultimate goal.”
And as for finding specific reasons for wins away from home? Well, the reasons are pretty much the same no matter where you are.
“Hockey is hockey,” Duchene said. “We have a great game plan. I’ve talked about how well-coached we are. We know what the recipe is for ourselves and we make adjustments to whoever we’re playing. We’re well prepared and it’s up to us as players to execute.”
Dallas, TX
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says city will help deport undocumented migrants accused of crimes
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says the city will help President-elect Donald Trump deport undocumented migrants accused of violent crimes.
During an interview Wednesday on Fox News, Johnson also suggested there needed to be stricter security at the U.S.-Mexico border. The mayor made the comments after being asked how Dallas was addressing migrants in the city and if he would deport them.
“Of course, we’d support that,” Johnson said during the three-minute segment. “Of course, we’d stand by President Trump in an effort to get rid of people in our country illegally who have violent criminal records or who commit violent criminal acts here. But even more than that, people need to understand it’s a strain on our school system, it’s a strain on our hospital system, there are hidden costs to having a porous, open border, and we need to shut that down.”
Johnson’s office didn’t respond Friday to requests for comment following up on if there have been any city discussions about the role Dallas would play in the president-elect’s deportation plans. The Dallas Police Department declined to comment, referring questions to the city’s communications department.
When asked if city officials have had discussions, city spokesman Nick Starling said, “Because that statement was made by Mayor Johnson, please reach out to his office directly.”
As Dallas mayor, Johnson doesn’t have the power to unilaterally direct police or city policy related to undocumented immigrants. The mayor and the city’s 14 district council members have equal voting power on policy decisions, which typically require majority approval to pass.
The Dallas City Council passed a resolution in June condemning a delayed state law that would allow police to arrest people suspected of illegally entering Texas from Mexico.
Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4 late last year. It was supposed to go into effect in March, but lawsuits from the U.S. Justice Department and others arguing that it violates the Constitution led to a federal appeals court injunction temporarily blocking the law from being enforced. Opponents have called it discriminatory against Latinos and migrants, while supporters have called it vital for border security.
Johnson was one of three members of the City Council to vote against the local resolution, which is non-binding. The mayor never gave the public an explanation for his “no” vote.
Trump promised a record amount of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants once he is inaugurated in January. He posted on Truth Social on Nov. 18 confirming he is considering declaring a national emergency to secure military aid in the deportation efforts.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday offering a 1,400-acre state-owned ranch on the southern border to help the administration in carrying out deportation plans.
Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he thought it was shocking the mayor of Dallas would publicly support “Trump’s xenophobic policies.” He noted the incoming Los Angeles police chief recently vowed the department wouldn’t assist in mass deportations and Denver’s mayor and Illinois’ governor said their jurisdictions wouldn’t cooperate with the president-elect’s plans.
“Dallas is a majority Latino city, and there are a large number of Latino families that are mixed, where some members are undocumented, and some are not,” said Garcia, a former Dallas City Council member and former state representative. “Mass deportations and threats to divide families are just un-Christian and no way to treat people at the bottom rung of society.
“You have multiple billionaires complaining that the poorest people are the problem, and it’s just a big lie,” Garcia said. “Unfortunately, looks like the mayor of Dallas bought into that big lie.”
Though Johnson was specific in his language about who would be targeted, Trump and some of his picks for cabinet positions have been broader.
Tom Homan, Trump’s nominee to be border czar overseeing the country’s deportation enforcement, told conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk on Nov. 12 “entry into this country illegally is a crime; every illegal alien in this country committed a crime to get here, so they’re all criminals.”
“Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime,” said Homan, a former Border Patrol agent and former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We’re going to enforce the law without apologies, and the day Donald Trump takes that oath, we’re in a ‘go mode.’ And if any government wants to stand in the way, go ahead and do it. We’ll see what happens.”
Johnson has been Dallas mayor since 2019 and spent about 10 years before that in the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat. Johnson declared himself Republican in September 2023, four months after he was reelected to his second and final term as mayor, a nonpartisan role. The move was widely speculated as a precursor to Johnson seeking a more prominent position under the GOP banner.
Johnson announced earlier this year he voted for Trump and was committed to “retiring Joe Biden.” He spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, endorsing the now president-elect and criticizing the Democratic Party as not being tough enough on crime. The Dallas mayor was at Trump’s victory party in Florida on election night.
Johnson was interviewed on Fox News on Wednesday about an opinion piece published earlier in the week where he wrote the Democratic Party should have seen his party declaration switch as “a wake-up call.”
“(Trump) has shown that he cares about solving problems in urban America, and as president, his policies will help lead a revival of our country’s great cities, making them safe and prosperous again,” Johnson wrote. “And through the new administration, working-class individuals will again feel at home in America’s cities — and in the Republican Party. I know I do.”
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