Houston ISD warns 120 principals to improve performance, suggests possible legal action against Houston Chronicle over leak publication

Earlier this year, Love Elementary principal Sean Tellez had a choice to make. It was late January. State-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles announced a surge in the number of Houston ISD schools that failed to meet state standards, from less than 10 in the 2021-22 school year to more than 100 in the 2022-23 school year. Miles promised to "arrest the decline," arguing those schools "need to change what they're doing." Love Elementary was on the list of D-plus-rated schools, along with 23 other campuses. Tellez and the other principals had about two weeks to gather community input and either request sweeping reforms under Miles' New Education System — the controversial turnaround program launched in 85 schools this school year — or reject the changes. "I had calls, daily visits, daily physical presence on campus from executive directors, the senior executive director, the division superintendent," Tellez told Houston Public Media. "There was always this fear. There were rumors that Superintendent Miles himself was going to be out here, and this was during the decision phase."

In two informational meetings with district administrators, parents from Love Elementary blasted the New Education System. Tellez said there was "very unanimous" opposition among parents and educators who feared changes to school culture, shifts in dual-language programming and increased teacher turnover. In February, Tellez was one of five principals who rejected the reforms. 19 other campus leaders accepted the changes and will enter the New Education System in August, when the reform program will cover almost half of the schools in Houston ISD. In subsequent conversations with district administrators, "the word ‘regrettable' was used multiple times," Tellez said. "My decision was ‘regrettable for my community,' and for myself as a leader, and I was starting to read between the lines." Tellez chose to leave the district for a position in Spring ISD. His last day was Friday, March 8 — the day after the district told about 120 other principals they could be forced out unless they pass additional screenings because they fell below "proficient" on performance evaluations. Shortly after principals received their performance ratings, the state-appointed administration found itself again embroiled in internal strife and public controversy. Miles criticized the city's daily newspaper, the Houston Chronicle, over its publication of the specific principals who received an email about their potential removal. Miles announced an internal investigation to find the source of the leak. Community members expressed outrage when they read the Chronicle’s coverage and discovered some longtime, popular principals at high-achieving schools included in the list.