Education and Politics

Education is inherently “political” – relating to the government or the public affairs of a unit of government – as it is a governmental entity involved in public matters.? But it should be “apolitical” with regard to political parties or the actions of elected officials to advance a party’s agenda or to undermine an opposing party.?

Those who have worked with me know that I try hard not to engage in party politics or to reveal publicly where I stand on political issues.? Indeed, most people have no idea what my affiliations are.? And when I was offered the position as Superintendent of HISD, I accepted knowing that the only goal was improving student outcomes; I would not have accepted had there been any other – such as a political agenda.?

When faced with political interference and negative attacks, District leaders are coached to just deflect and pacify.? But we don’t think we can do that in this case.? This may be one more fight that needs fighting for the sake of the children.

And on a personal note, I’ve spent four decades serving the public good, and I am very proud of that service as a soldier, diplomat, and educator.? So, while I know that personal attacks and falsehoods come with any leadership job at this level, I will no longer let serious attacks on my character and integrity go unanswered.?

See the letter to the delegation below.? Eager to hear your comments on our change in strategy.? Also, please repost this.?

Mike

Dear Members of the Texas Legislature,?

Representative Wu,

Representative Hernandez,

Representative Morales,

Representative Rosenthal,

Representative Vo,

Representative Jones,

Representative Johnson,

Senator Alvarado,

Senator Cook

Last week, thousands of parents joined HISD’s students, teachers, and leaders in celebrating the miraculous improvement in State accountability ratings.? At one particular celebration, at Hilliard Elementary School, there was a lot of pride and tears of joy as the North Forest community learned about their students' successes. The six North Forest schools, the entire feeder pattern, meaning an entire community’s schools, had been failing students for decades. Now, they are no longer failing the students of North Forest. Five schools are rated A or B, and one is rated a C.?

That sense of pride and accomplishment can be felt in campuses across HISD thanks to our students’ remarkable achievements and our teachers’ exceptional commitment to their work. A principal told me that for the first time in a long time, they now have hope that they can make a real difference for students. Our children have hope and a fighting chance of reaching their full potential.?

It is in this spirit, and on their behalf, that I am reaching out. As the leader of Houston ISD, I ask you to join me in celebrating the success of our educators and students. Put aside the politics of grievance and divisiveness for a moment and truly celebrate our students’ success and the hard work of our teachers and school leaders. Over the past year, 55 HISD schools have gone from a “D” or “F” rating to an “A” or “B” rating. In 2024, these schools served over 27,000 of Houston’s students. In this moment of genuine success, we owe it to our students and teachers to be just as swift and forceful with our celebrations and accolades as some have been with their skepticism.

Our HISD team is fighting to do what is best for Houston ISD’s students, every day. This includes making necessary changes that were long avoided because it was politically safer to let students fail than to rock the boat. You may have disagreements about some of the changes, but as you look at the results our schools and students have achieved after just one year, you can see that we are changing lives and futures and bringing hope back to the district.

I am not a politician, and I am not running for election, but I know about leadership.? I suspect we all strive to be leaders who bring people to their best hopes rather than play on their worst fears.? We want to be leaders that get things done.? I know as leaders we must fight the fights that need fighting, not just those we know we can win.? In education, leaders must do what it really takes to put kids first, regardless of the political or even personal costs.

The public conversation about HISD over the past year has been filled with divisiveness that is unfair to our students. Students and their teachers at Wainwright Elementary School did not deserve to hear their elected leaders call their school an emblem of everything wrong with HISD. In fact, Wainwright is one of three schools that went from an F to A rating, in just one year. The Wainwright community deserves an apology and more importantly public recognition for a job very well done. It may be politically useful to deride the district, but that kind of politics doesn’t help a single student learn to read, do math, or compete for the jobs of the future.?

This work is not easy ,and we welcome your help. As a first step, we invite you to visit our schools, to see the real story of remarkable transformation taking place. Second, we’ve focused a lot of time and energy on staff who have left the district. It’s important you hear from the educators that are here, in the work for our students. Meeting with our Teacher and Principal Advisory Committees would help you understand the district directly from the people educating our students every day. Finally, and maybe the most important thing you can do to help Houston’s students and schools is to use your positions to fight for increased education funding in the state budget.

It's time for all of us to lead, follow, or get out of the way. Let’s end the distracting public fighting and work together. HISD will not stop fighting for our students. We will not stop working to change the parts of a broken system that hold too many students back. We will not stop putting our students first. And we will not let misinformation stand when it hurts kids and families. If you have questions about our policies and practices, please ask. If you need materials or resources to share with your constituents, please ask. Moving forward, the HISD team will correct and stop inaccurate and misleading information when it is released, we have an obligation to our community to do so.

Our kids need leaders, and I hope you we can work together to give them an example of what real leadership looks like.

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