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Reposted by Community Voices for Public Education

Woman whose eyes are nothing like the sun... @sonnet130.bsky.social · 4d

Not one, not two, but thousands of HISD teachers have lost their jobs under Miles's authoritarian "leadership" because they have dared to buck his requirement to teach the district-created, NES curriculum "with fidelity." How, you ask? Well, they've had the audacity to read real books, sing, draw 🧵

Knowing the stakes, Rose and her classmates at their west-side elementary practiced the drill iust as their teacher instructed.
The third graders kept a stack of worksheets tucked underneath their chapter books at all times as they took turns reading aloud with their teacher. At any moment, they knew, their teacher might get an urgent text that district officials were on campus. Rose's mother says a staffer apparently sent alerts using a secret code of emojis to signal which classrooms the officials
were coming for.

Rose always placed her book with the open side down so as not to lose her page. She was smitten by the gallant, non-conforming little mouse who takes on the cunning dungeon rats in Kate DiCamillo's book "The Tale of Despereaux." The 8-year-old never thought she'd be part of a daring plot in
her own classroom.
"I just wanted to read the book,' Rose, now 9, told me in a recent interview.

Books - actual books, with dust jackets spines, whimsical illustrations. and characters and cliffhangers - are ncreasingly unwelcome in the land of worksheets and slide shows. Teachers say that, with few exceptions, the only stories allowed in the early qrades of state-appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles' New Education Svstem are minced into dry text that teachers reac from manuals. The few approved books focus on phonics.
f district evaluators had walked into the classroom of Rose and Max last year and found every desk spread with paperbacks, the teacher could have faced reprimand, lost points in her spot review and, if she'd repeated the indiscretion, lost her iob

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Reposted by Community Voices for Public Education

Woman whose eyes are nothing like the sun... @sonnet130.bsky.social · 4d

This tragic but excellent article needs to be read by everyone throughout the country. The Republicans want to kill public ed. They are using state takeovers and charter school owning charlatans like Mike Miles (and his abusive NES) to do it. See at what they are stealing from our (soon your) kids!🧵

Nusaiba Mizan @nusaiba.bsky.social · 4d

By @houstonchronicle.com columnist Lisa Falkenberg: "Books — actual books, with dust jackets, spines, whimsical illustrations, and characters and cliffhangers — are increasingly unwelcome in the land of worksheets and slide shows." www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Falkenberg: Mike Miles takes story books from HISD kindergarteners

First HISD took the libraries. Now teachers say the district’s curriculum leaves no room for storybooks and some are secretly reading to students anyway.

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · 15d

Houston ISD to control coverage by hiring its own news crew. Another $2M instead of funding teachers or fixing AC.

www.chron.com/news/houston...

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · 16d

🚨 The draft District Improvement Plan is out.
One “key initiative”? Spending an additional $2 million on HISD Now to fight so-called “misinformation” from the press.

Our schools deserve resources for students, not PR spin. 📚✊🏽

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

HISD lays out 8 priorities for 2025-26 school year. Here's what to know.

Houston ISD laid out eight priorities for the 2025-26 school year in its second budget...

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · 20d

Call out Mike Miles’ harmful policies & data manipulation—fight for every child’s right to learn.
HISD Board of Managers
Thu Oct 9 · 5 PM
4400 W 18th St or Zoom.
Sign-up to speak: Mon 5 PM–Wed noon. Details on our site.

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · 26d

"This is the real extremism: the dismantling of public education while accusing those who defend it of being radicals."

www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outl...

Mike Miles calls HISD parents like me 'extreme'

At a Houston City Council meeting, the state-appointed superintendent of Houston ISD dismissed skeptics as “disgruntled” and talked of “conspiracy theories.”

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · 28d

OfftheKuff is interviewing HISD trustee candidates this week. Today: Felicity Pereyra (D1). CVPE backs Pereyra, Guidry (D9), Benzon (D5), MICHAEL McDonough (D6), Nath (D7). End the takeover, restore real learning. www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=120420

Interview with Felicity Pereyra | Off the Kuff

www.offthekuff.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 20

Miles just rolled out his fifth new spot form in two months. Now worth 18 points instead of 15 — and retroactive. Constant rule-changes don’t just punish teachers, they destabilize classrooms and harm kids.

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 20

The Harris County Democratic Party issued its first-ever endorsements of candidates running in the Houston ISD trustee elections, citing the “high stakes facing Houston’s schools in the wake of the state takeover.”

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Harris County Democrats issue first endorsements in HISD trustee elections

The Harris County Democratic Party issued its first-ever endorsement of candidates running in HISD trustee elections, citing the "high stakes facing Houston’s schools."

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 18

Join the Kids Picket with Hilton workers on strike!
📍 Hilton Americas | Sat 9/20, 9–11AM app.sosha.ai/s/nEW8TR3R

Sign up now!

app.sosha.ai

Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 17

Only 5 people have submitted feedback on Miles’ bonus .

Got something to say? Scroll to tge bottom and click on the red button m, add your contribution.

www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outl...

Tell us: How do you feel about HISD? Does Mike Miles deserve a bonus?

Houston ISD's controversial superintendent is eligible for an annual bonus of up to $231K. How would you rate him?

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 15

Speak up Wed at 2 PM: Miles will brag to City Council Committee about test score“gains.” These ratings are manufactured—built on demoting and withdrawing students, shuffling them into classes that inflate ratings, not learning. Scores ≠ learning.

www.houstoncvpe.org/exposing_the...

Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 15

This Nov election is about more than a single race; it’s about ending the catastrophic takeover where kids can’t read books even in kinder and Miles is bleeding our district dry.

To find out if you live in one of the three contested districts (D5, D6 or D7), click www.hctax.net/Voter/Search...

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 13

The State Board of Ed voted along partisan lines 8-7, to make “social studies,” mostly TX and American exceptionalism with TX history replacing world history six grades deep. World history is shunted to the back burner. New 8th-grade test seals the deal.
www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/tex...

In reversal, Texas SBOE backs plan to deemphasize world history, cultures

The plan, favored by conservative activists, greatly reduces the amount of time spent on world history and boosts that spent on Texas history.

www.houstonchronicle.com

Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 11

Watch the HISD Board of Managers meeting live: www.youtube.com/live/dC88l5T...
Save the date for the next board meeting on October 9, 2025.

09-11-2025 School Board Meeting

YouTube video by Houston ISD

www.youtube.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 8

Speak in person or on Zoom at the HISD Board of Managers meeting this Thursday at 5 pm (4400 W 18th St). Tell Miles and the board no to AI curriculum and firing teachers. Sign up to speak today (9/8) after 5 pm through Wed (9/10) at noon. Info: houston.org/events

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Sep 3

The Commission wants to hear from you. The first listening session is Wed, Sept 10th.

The commission is co-chaired by Sen. Molly Cook, Rep. Lauren Simmons, and Rev. Colin Bossen, with national experts like Domingo Morel, author of Takeover. No RSVP needed. Your voice matters.

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Aug 30

Durham PTA accuses HISD of retaliating against teachers who spoke at the Aug 25 board meeting: “Rather than providing the support promised, the district removed two of the best teachers… and replaced them with subs & iPads.”

www.click2houston.com/news/local/2...

Teachers reassigned to ‘home duty’ at Durham Elementary, parents demand answers

Parents at Durham Elementary School are voicing frustration and confusion after several teachers were abruptly reassigned to “home duty” with no clear explanation from Houston ISD.

www.click2houston.com

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Aug 27

HB 8 is bait & switch: it adds beginning & midyear tests plus a new STAAR 3.0 at year’s end—more testing, more TEA control, same high-stakes harm.
www.texastribune.org/2025/08/26/t...

House Democrats’ frustration with STAAR bill highlights divide over how new test should look

Democrats say recent changes to the bill give too much power to the TEA and fall short of meaningfully easing the pressures of standardized testing.

www.texastribune.org

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Aug 24

CVPE Endorsement Alert! Supporting HISD Trustee candidates who put students first and will fight to end the takeover

Vote for leaders ready to rebuild our schools.
Maria Benzon (D5), Michael McDonough (D6) and Audrey Nath (D7) are in contested races.

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Reposted by Community Voices for Public Education

Savant Moore @savantmoore.bsky.social · Aug 24

Start small. Ask three friends today if they are registered to vote in Texas. If they aren’t, help them get registered. #NewDemocrats

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Aug 20

Judge temporarily blocks Ten Commandments from being displayed in public school classrooms: The judge stated “the ruling did not attempt to limit the Ten Commandments in relevant course curriculum but that Sb10 crosses the line from exposure to coercion.”

youtu.be/xSSzR5W0d9Y?...

Judge temporarily blocks Texas law requiring Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms

YouTube video by KSAT 12

youtu.be

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Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Aug 18

Join our August General Meeting! Get updates on fighting the takeover and learn about the upcoming school board elections. We’ll endorse candidates who put students first. Strong trustees will be critical when the takeover ends. www.houstoncvpe.org/general_meet...

Community Voices for Public Education @houstoncvpe.bsky.social · Aug 15

State test scores are up across TX, but it’s not a Texas Miracle—just Gov. Abbott trying to make the HISD takeover look good.

Twenty years ago, similar “miracle” gains in Texas and HISD were later revealed to be largely test-score manipulation, not real learning.

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Reposted by Community Voices for Public Education

HFT @hft2415.bsky.social · Jul 31

We’re suing Mike Miles. He thinks the rules don’t apply to him. He thinks teachers won’t fight back. He’s wrong.

Join the movement: hft2415.org/join-hft/

Gift link: www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

@aft.org @texasaft.org

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