Dallas, TX
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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Dallas, TX
RECAP | FC Dallas 0, FC Cincinnati 1 | FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati defeated FC Dallas, 1-0, Saturday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The Orange and Blue (13-4-3, 42 points) earn their eighth road win of the season, the most in MLS, and remain second in the Eastern Conference standings. Dallas (5-10-5, 20 points) suffered their first home loss since March 16.
Luca Orellano scored the only goal of the match in the 47th minute, his fifth of the season. Gerardo Valenzuela, making his seventh start of the year, assisted on the goal for his third over his last four appearances. Roman Celentano picked up his sixth clean sheet of the season, making two saves on the night.
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Luca Orellano, GOAL – 47’ (0-1) – Luca Orellano and the Cincinnati attack wasted no time in finding a goal coming out of the halftime break. Gerardo Valenzuela led a quick build and break out of Cincinnati’s own half, playing up to Orellano who weighed his options. An overlapping run from DeAndre Yedlin gave Orellano space to cut in on his favored left foot and sent a curling effort past Maarten Paes at the far post.
FC Cincinnati are back on the road Wednesday, July 3 at D.C. United. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Audi Field at the match will air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and fans can also listen to the match on ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati and iHeart.
The Orange and Blue return home to TQL Stadium next Saturday, July 6 to host Inter Miami CF. Tickets are still available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK).
GAME NOTES
– FC Cincinnati won their sixth-straight road match of the season, extending their MLS-leading streak.
– With their sixth-straight road win of the season, FCC became the fifth club, all-time, to win six or more consecutive road games, and the third club to do so since 2000 and the end of the MLS shootout era.
– At kickoff, the temperature was 95 degrees, the hottest kickoff in FC Cincinnati history.
– With his goal in the 47th minute, Luca Orellano became the first player on the current FCC roster to score a goal against FC Dallas in their career.
– With his substitution in the 88th minute, Isaiah Foster made his MLS debut against FC Dallas.
– The Orange and Blue remained perfect against the Western Conference this season, as they improved to 4-0-0 (11-3-4 all-time under Pat Noonan).
– The Orange and Blue improved to 8-1-1 on the road this season, the most wins and best road win percentage in MLS.
– Cincinnati tied the MLS record for wins over two-straight seasons in one-goal games with their 25th … The club moved to 25-5 in one-goal games since the beginning of the 2023 season.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at FC Dallas
Date: June 29, 2024
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 19,096
Kickoff: 8:40 p.m. ET/7:40 p.m. CT
Weather: 95 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
DAL: 0-0-0
CIN: 0-1-1
CIN – Luca Orellano (Valenzuela) 47’
LINEUPS
DAL: Maarten Paes, Marco Farfan, Paul Arriola (C) (Sam Junqua 81’), Nkosi Tafari, Sebastien Ibeagha, Sebastian Lletget (Tomas Pondeca 81’), Asier Illarramendi, Liam Fraser (Nolan Norris 27’), Logan Farrington, Eugene Ansah (Tarik Scott 54’), Bernard Kamungo (Petar Musa 54’)
Substitutes not used: Jimmy Maurer, Omar Gonzalez, Dante Sealy, Ema Twumasi
CIN: Roman Celentano, Yamil Asad (Alvas Powell 55’), Ian Murphy, Kipp Keller (Bret Halsey 78’), DeAndre Yedlin, Luca Orellano (Isaiah Foster 88’), Pavel Bucha, Yuya Kubo, Luciano Acosta (C), Gerardo Valenzuela (Aaron Boupendza 88’), Kevin Kelsy (Sergio Santos 78’)
Substitutes not used: Alec Kann, London Aghedo, Stiven Jimenez, Nicholas Benalcazar
STATS SUMMARY: DAL/CIN
Shots: 16 / 6
Shots on Goal: 2 / 2
Saves: 1 / 2
Corner Kicks: 5 / 1
Fouls: 16 / 14
Offside: 0 / 4
Possession: 51.3 / 48.7
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Yuya Kubo (Yellow Card) 18’
CIN – Alvas Powell (Yellow Card) 56’
DAL – Nolan Norris (Yellow Card) 58’
CIN – DeAndre Yedlin (Yellow Card) 61’
CIN – Kevin Kelsy (Yellow Card) 65’
DAL – Sebastien Ibeagha (Yellow Card) 82’
CIN – Roman Celentano (Yellow Card) 88’
CIN – Luciano Acosta (Yellow Card) 90’+4
OFFICIALS
Referee: Victor Rivas
Ast. Referees: Ryan Graves, Adam Garner
Fourth Official: Nabil Bensalah
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
Dallas, TX
Charlotte Jones addresses Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders pay in Netflix docuseries
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has cracked the top 10 of Netflix’s most-watched shows of the past week.
With the popularity of the America’s Sweethearts, which gives an inside look at what it takes to be a member of the iconic DCC, started a discussion of NFL cheerleader pay and salaries after the topic was discussed on the series.
The Cowboys cheerleaders make significantly more than other cheerleaders around the league, but it is not enough to make the gig a full-time job.
NFL cheerleaders make less than NFL water boys, who make about $53,000 per year, and team mascots, who earn approximately $25,000 per season.
MORE: How much are Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders paid?
Former Cowboys cheerleader Kat Puryear revealed she made around the same as “a substitute teacher. I would say I’m making … like a Chick-fil-A worker who works full time.”
Tina Kalina, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader in the 1980s, told producers she made approximately $35 per game.
Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones, the daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, discussed the low pay on the Netflix docuseries and said that the financial incentive is not what makes being a DCC appealing.
Instead, Jones believes cheerleaders are drawn by their “passion of dance” and to “find their purpose.”
“There’s a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders, as there should be. They’re not paid a lot. But the facts are that they actually don’t come here for the money. They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that to them,” she said, via the Dallas Morning News.
“They have a passion for dance. There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance, and to get to perform at an elite level. … It is about being a part of something bigger than themselves. It is about a sisterhood that they were able to form, about relationships that they have for the rest of their lives. They have a chance to feel like they’re valued, that they’re special and that they are making a difference. When the women come here, they find their passion and they find their purpose.”
MORE: Meet Kelcey Wetterberg: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader
While the Cowboys would not directly address speculation about the cheerleader pay, a Cowboys spokesperson said the team “pays cheerleaders for games, practices and appearances and covers the cost of uniforms, some meals, health club memberships and salon services.”
The women also work as dance instructors or other jobs in-season and during the offseason. Kelcey Wetterberg, for example, is a pediatric nurse.
On the show, she was filmed caring for a patient while balancing the high-pressure job as a nurse with the stress and daily routine of going through what it takes to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is streaming on Netflix now. The series features seven episodes that run approximately one hour each.
More Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders News
Dallas, TX
Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear jersey No. 71
Don’t look now, but we are 71 days from the start of the Dallas Cowboys season.
With that comes the latest in our countdown of the best players ever to wear their respective numbers with the franchise. For No. 71, the story should be about never giving up.
The player who best represents the No. 71 for Dallas isn’t someone that anyone would have ever guessed.
Mark Tuinei’s journey to becoming one of the greatest to ever play for the Dallas Cowboys seems nearly impossible. Tuinei was a defensive tackle during his college career and, for his first two seasons in Dallas, served as a second-stringer for the defensive line.
However, moving to left tackle in 1986 changed his professional career. Tuinei started at tackle for twelve seasons in Dallas, earning Pro Bowl honors in two of those seasons (’94 and ’95).
A career that once seemed impossible is now one that can never be forgotten. Tuinei’s professional career is an excellent example for anyone who thinks the road to success may feel daunting.
To sum up what the No. 71 means to the Dallas franchise, I think the best way would be to say that if you show up every day and do the work, you will be rewarded for that time.
— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
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