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Saturday, June 10, 2023 • Vol. 68 • No. 23
Making it official
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City, DOJ resolve illegal dumping investigation By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
INSIDE.
Honored The Booker T. Washington boys’ basketball team received a proclomation from the city
Photo courtesy of HISD website Pictured is the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. The Texas Education recently appointed Mike Miles, left, as superintendent and has put a nine-member board in place.
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TEA implements HISD managers takeover of HISD pledge to serve By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
New twist New things coming from a known artist highlight this week’s Art Valet column
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Icon honored The Houston Heights Association is soon celebrating late community icon Melvalene Cohen
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The Reel Deal Reel Seafood drew in reviewer Dan Greer last week. See the review for his full take
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THE INDEX. Public/Topics............................2 Sports.......................................3 Classifieds.................................................. 6 Local Culture............................7 Food & Drink............................8
whole community By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
The state of Texas’ largest school district is now under the governance of the state, and its board of trustees and superintendent replaced by a stateappointed board of managers. On Thursday morning, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) made its takeover of Houston Independent School District official. The district – which includes over a dozen local high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools – will now be run by the nine-member board of managers and state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles until further notice, according to the agency. The board of managers was selected from an applicant pool of 462 people, according to the TEA, and Miles was previously a superintendent with the Dallas Independent School District and the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Over the past few months, we have been heartened to see so many Houstonians eagerly step up to serve their community and the students of Houston ISD,” Texas Education Commissioner, Mike Morath said Thursday. “We were looking for people from a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives who believe all children can learn and achieve at high levels when properly supported and who can work together. I believe the governing team I am naming today will work as a unified team, dedicated to improving student outcomes and supporting educators.” However, the takeover has not been positively
The Texas Education Agency’s appointment of a board of managers to oversee the state’s largest school district has been met with some pushback, even as the state’s takeover became official with the appointment of managers and superintendent last week. But the new managers say that though they were not elected by the respective districts within Houston ISD, their goal remains the same – to serve the community to the best of their abilities. “The benefit of being at large as a collective group, is that we represent all children. Our focus is on the children, and on the community as well,” manager Adam Rivon said Wednesday morning. The nine-member board will be responsible for overseeing the operations of HISD for the foreseeable future. HISD – which includes over a dozen local high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools – will now be run by the nine-member board of managers and state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles until further notice, according to the agency. The board of managers was selected from an applicant pool of 462 people, according to the TEA, and Miles was previously a superintendent with the Dallas Independent School District and the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Many of the new managers say they are aware
See Takeover P. 4
See Managers P. 4
Nearly a year after the United States Department of Justice began investigating the city of Houston’s illegal dumping responses, the city and DOJ announced earlier this week that the two parties have reached a mutual agreement to resolve the investigation. On Tuesday, the city and DOJ announced a resolution to the investigation, saying the resolution is building upon the city’s One Clean Houston initiative that was launched last March as the city said it aims to push back against illegal dumping in the city, particularly in communities of color. “To me, this is personal. I grew up and still live in these neighborhoods, and my life’s work has been to lift these neighborhoods,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “As mayor, I prioritized the needs of communities of color that are historically underresourced and underserved and built a Complete Communities program that is a model for public-private investment in neighborhood revitalization.” The DOJ launched an investigation last July following civil rights complaints filed on behalf of residents in Houston that alleged the city discriminated against Black and Latino communities in the northeast part of the city in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the DOJ. Title VI prohibits recipients of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin in their federally funded programs and activities. Over the last 10 months, the department said it has been investigating Houston’s efforts to address the illegal dumping, which the DOJ said has become more pervasive in Black and Latino communities. And in those 10 months, the department said One Clean Houston has been a step towards addressing the problem, and that Tuesday’s agreement builds on the initiative. “Houston’s illegal dumpsites have contaminated water and soil, attracted vermin and created blight in historically under-resourced neighborSee Dumping P. 7
Local arts district up for national recognition From Staff Reports
Arts District Houston, one of Houston’s seven state-designated cultural districts, has been nominated for the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Award for “Best Arts District.” This nomination is a testament to the district’s commitment to promoting and supporting the arts, and the hard work of its managing partner, Fresh Arts.
Arts District Houston is situated in the city center along the Washington Avenue Corridor and is made up of the historic First and Sixth Ward neighborhoods. It is home to MECA, 4th Wall Theater, FotoFest, and the Sawyer Yards creative campus. Visitors to the Arts District can experience art in the Site Gallery (housed within former silos), snap photos of the murals along Art Alley, meet 300+ local artists in their studios
at Sawyer Yards, or see underground installations in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. Through Arts District Houston programming, Fresh Arts says that it aims to amplify the district’s ability to serve artists and the greater community through artist-centered public art projects and initiatives. These initiatives, the organization says, help build capacity, audiencSee Arts P. 4
Photo from Facebook 4th Wall Theatre actors perform in a play. The company is part of Arts District Houston, which is up for a national recognition by USA Today.
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