No trust, no bond: Houston voters resoundingly reject HISD bond

In many ways, any school bond election is a referendum on trust. Do voters trust district leaders to appropriately use taxpayer dollars, numbering into the millions and billions, to improve the learning conditions of their kids?

On Tuesday, state-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles's failed leadership and sowing of distrust in the HISD community led to the district's first failed bond proposal since 1996.

Houston voters overwhelmingly rejected Miles's nearly $9 billion bond package and exit interviews placed much of the blame squarely on Miles's failed leadership in his year and a half at the district. The bond package was split into two propositions. Both Proposition A (school building renovations and expansions) and B (technology equipment, systems and infrastructure) failed by a roughly 16-point margin, with 58% of HISD voters rejecting each.

For months, a bipartisan coalition of community members, parents, and educators have fought against the bond, arguing that Mike Miles has failed to earn the community's trust in the first year of the state takeover of HISD. Concerns have been raised about past financial mismanagement at Miles's schools, the district's failure to disclose the full cost of the bond to voters, and the threat of privatization posed by the moneyed interests funding the pro-bond PAC effort.

"In my many years at Houston ISD, I've never known educators to come out against a school bond proposal. We work in HISD schools every single day, and we know the needs better than most. That's how dire of a threat Mike Miles and his state takeover pose to this community," said Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, after the results came in. "For educators, the work never stopped. We will return to the classroom to teach our students. For the administration, it's time to end the bluster and begin meaningful engagement to rebuild trust with the community."

Notably, one of Miles's first major pushes when handed the reins of the district by the Texas Education Agency was to dilute the elected consultation agreement with HFT, an avenue for direct engagement between educators and admin, a right hard-won by our members.

After the remarkable organizing effort from HFT educators and parents with Community Voices for Public Education undertook to defeat the largest bond in state history, Miles would do well to overcome his own ego and work to build real trust with his community.

As usual, however, he seems to be avoiding any self-reflection on his own role in this defeat, issuing a statement that blames everyone but himself and promises no alteration of his actions.

"Houston has spoken loud and clear: fire Mike Miles, end the state takeover, and restore the transparency and accountability that come with an elected school board," said Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT, in response to the bond's defeat. "Houston educators want to support a thoughtful bond proposal, but we can't justify saddling our community with 30 years and $9 billion of debt when we can't trust district leadership and see no recourse if something goes wrong. The stakes are too high to put our trust and our money in the hands of Mike Miles."