HISD Superintendent Mike Miles has responded to allegations from Spectrum News regarding financial practices at Third Future Schools, a charter network he founded. The report claims millions in taxpayer money was sent from one school in Odessa to another school in Colorado, and that Miles served as a paid consultant for the network after moving to HISD. The Texas Education Agency is reviewing the report.
Miles has disputed the claims, stating that the report misrepresents common financial arrangements between charter schools and their management organizations. He also emphasized that he has not worked for Third Future Schools for over a year and accused the reporter of undermining progress made in Dallas ISD.
These allegations come at a time of districtwide staffing cuts and a projected budget shortfall of $450 million for the next school year. Funding for public education in Texas has been a contentious issue, with Governor Abbott’s attempt to tie funding increases to school vouchers causing funding bills to repeatedly fail to pass.
University of Houston political analysts Brandon Rottinghaus and Beth Simas discuss the politics of public education funding in Texas, highlighting the challenges facing districts like HISD. The debate underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in the management of taxpayer funds in education.