Mike Miles, the state-appointed superintendent of Houston ISD, acknowledged on Monday that the district had spent what an elected trustee described as a “astronomical” sum without first obtaining the school board’s consent, in violation of its own procurement rules.
More than 140 pages of buying agreements from August 2023 were on the district board’s agenda for December 10, several of which included spending above $1 million. Before spending the funds, the district’s administration was expected to obtain the board’s approval; but, by the time the funds were provided, they had already been used.
According to Miles, “this was a good-faith error,” during a press conference on Monday. “There was no mal intent.”
He went on to say that the district administration just overlooked a stage in the procedure, but the contracts would have been signed anyhow.
According to Miles, they were finished accurately, with the exception that the board did not approve that particular stage.
However, at the most recent school board meeting, before the state-appointed board of managers of HISD tabled a request to accept the expenses, elected HISD trustee Dani Hernandez described the situation as “troubling and confusing.”
Hernandez stated that the funds had already been distributed. This sum of money is enormous. I am fully aware that HISD must make financial expenditures, but in my capacity as an elected trustee, I was always informed in advance and promptly.”
“Financial responsibility is the board’s responsibility,” she reaffirmed later.
A request for comment on Monday was not immediately answered by the Texas Education Agency, which dismissed Miles and the board of management in June 2023 after Wheatley High School received a series of failing academic evaluations.
Miles stated that even though the district did not violate any laws, “it was an error and it must be rectified.”
According to Miles, the district is implementing a number of administrative adjustments to avoid making the same error again, including employing a second lawyer to oversee contract approvals going forward. Additionally, Miles stated that they will now be performing audits on a quarterly basis.
When asked if the event had resulted in any employees being reprimanded or fired, Miles replied, “not yet.”
This report was contributed to by Adam Zuvanich.
