For the way you like.
For the way you like. >> It was a little less than
>> It was a little less than
one month ago when the hisd
Board of trustees officially
approved Millard house. The
second is the new
superintendent on the job now
for a bit more than
a week. He’s hit the ground
running getting know his
district. He’s in charge of
leading and visiting some of
the more than 200,000 students
is now responsible for.
It’s the biggest job he’s ever had in terms of numbers of
had in terms of numbers of
people in May also be in terms
of the challenges of the
district. He now leaves them
delighted to welcome Mister
minute house the second Houston
newsmakers. Welcome to Houston and welcome to this new
and welcome to this new
challenge you have in front
of you. How’s it going so far
as a new gig treating you.
Well kimbrel think first of
all, thank you for for having me.
as we think about the job It
definitely is
a daunting But I see it as as
as it is, it’s an opportunity with lots of challenges.
with lots of challenges.
A lot to peaks and valleys.
But it is full of opportunities
when we think about the children in the Houston metro
children in the Houston metro
area in Harris County. I see
individuals that we’re that
look for the opportunities to
be college and career ready.
And I’m I’m ready and willing to take on the challenge.
to take on the challenge.
It’s a little bit different
from you transition from
Clarksville. Montgomery County
school in Tennessee. How you
wrap your mind around the
changes in the way you will
lead the a different style of leadership is going to have to
leadership is going to have to
be in place. How do you start
to deal with. That is Clark’s
Ville a a great starting
opportunity for me. As a
superintendent. But please know
and understand that I’ve had opportunities in Charlotte,
opportunities in Charlotte,
North Carolina, which is one of
the largest school districts in
the country as well. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Has spent time in New
Oklahoma. Has spent time in New
Spent time on the West Coast in
California. So scale is I have
seen scale before. So it’s not
something that worries me. I think what you have to do
I think what you have to do
when you’re developing capacity
in building capacity in a place
like hisd is that you take in
one chunk at a time. you ensure that the equity exist in
that the equity exist in
everything that you do in terms
of execution infidelity.
So we’re looking forward to it
regardless of how big
or small. just the still right now in the sights of the Texas
now in the sights of the Texas
education agency and they were
looking at plans to take over
the districts in a business in
a holding pattern right now. You knew that when you apply
You knew that when you apply
certainly and what are your
what were your concerns then
and now about that possibility
that you’re coming into a
district that’s still dealing
with Tia issues. You know that that that was a different
that that was a different
different time. I’ve had an
opportunity to sit down with
individuals from t a band and
have some of those
conversations will be ongoing conversations. But what I think
conversations. But what I think
we have to focus on is what’s
in front of us. We have a group
of over 200,000 kids that are
coming back from pandemic.
We have to focus on learning
loss. We have to fork focus on re engage in our students.
re engage in our students.
We have to focus on making sure
that they understand it’s a
safe environment. I think if we
focus on the right things.
Then everything with Tia performance Wheatley anything
performance Wheatley anything
else. It been a concern that’s
out there. It will come to
fruition and the data will show
what we need to do and what we need to focus on. So you said
need to focus on. So you said
you had conversations with some
folks. I’m what did you get a
sense about
tone of going forward with that
may look like to you, the sense that they may pull back from
that they may pull back from
their efforts to try to take
over wasn’t necessarily looking
for a tone or listening for a
tone. I was just listening.
That’s a part of what I’m doing with my 90 day 90 day plan.
with my 90 day 90 day plan.
I’m getting out to as many
community members as many.
Parents as many students at Tia. I have a calendar is is
Tia. I have a calendar is is
locked up for the next several
weeks to do is as much
listening and learning as
possible. So t a I still has some but I
t a I still has some but I
think many of those concerns
have a history. And we’re in a
different place now. Not to
say that my presence is going
to change the future. But what I what I do believe is that
I what I do believe is that
our focus on innovation.
Our focus on ensuring we
develop the kind of learning
loss plans
at will improve the performance will improve what happens not
will improve what happens not
only with us as a school
system, but also that the
perception that he has. Well, I
would think of this front.
I sense what I sense from you
now what I have since from your comments previously and that
comments previously and that
you’re not to Mister person.
I have to think that your
presence, even though you I
won’t change the future.
Have to think that you probably hope and expect that your
hope and expect that your
presence here will change the
future for the positive for
hisd. Let the plan. The board
bought brought me here for a
reason. They brought me here
not just for the status quo and
to keep us where we are. But to move us into the future
But to move us into the future
in a positive manner. So my
expectation is that, you know,
with a with you know, the kind
of presidents with a executive staff. Those things
executive staff. Those things
will bring on what we expect in
terms of performance for kills
in the future. You mentioned
something about the pandemic
and what was going on to that.
That certainly hst like all the
districts across the country had to deal with that. It was
had to deal with that. It was
one of the biggest challenges
for public schools ever.
And that is pandemic lockdowns
kids having to just to figure
out a whole different ways to study teachers, having to
study teachers, having to
figure out a whole different
ways to teach. Now you have
to make up for what clearly was
a lot of loss in terms of
learning. What are some of the
specific challenges you see, are there any kind of efforts
are there any kind of efforts
that are underway now to try
to make up for that it’s just
that many of our kids have not
seen a classroom in over a
That’s a challenge in itself. Many of our kids that have seen
Many of our kids that have seen
a classroom have only seen a
classroom electronically.
Many of our educators are worn out. They’re tired. So this
out. They’re tired. So this
summer. Is a major step in the
right direction. We have nearly
60,000 kids that are receiving
support not just academic support. The support from a
support. The support from a
social emotional standpoint
as well. So tomorrow will
actually be the last day our
official summer session. We’re again, thousands of kids
We’re again, thousands of kids
have seen support. Now that
support will, you know, go
beyond this summer, of course,
with the federal Sir dollars.
Federal covid relief dollars. Allows for us over the course
Allows for us over the course
of the next 3 years to provide
learning law supports for
children, not just during the
summer but even during the school year. So world will
school year. So world will
we’re developing a plan as we
speak to be approve a by the
Texas education agency that
will allow several different
types of supports depending on what campus your own. But we
what campus your own. But we
will do it’s ensure that
learning loss is
a priority. social emotional
wrap around services are major
piece of what we’re going to be doing as well. You mentioned
doing as well. You mentioned
earlier about a 90 day plan.
And so when you talk to quickly about some of short term and
about some of short term and
long term in in that if your
tenure absolutely. 3, 3, main
goals. And number one, we’ve
already talked a little bit
about which is really in
gauging our families re engage in our community because again,
in our community because again,
we were literally on lockdown
for big portion you know, of
the first semester. We also want to ensure that a safe and
want to ensure that a safe and
orderly environment is is
really.
Expected blown up an effort.
We’re working closely with the Harris Harris County Health
Harris Harris County Health
Department. The CDC, the
American Academy of Pediatrics
to make sure that we’re making
the right decisions. What I can say right now the community
say right now the community
spread data tells us it were
about 4% in comparison to
24%. The height of the pandemic
that tells us that the
environment is much safer than it was at 1, one particular
it was at 1, one particular
time. So we want our community
to know that as we speak
currently summer schools and
hopefully the start of the school years. Well, it’s a safe
school years. Well, it’s a safe
environment. We need our
children back the best
environment for them to learn
for the
most part is that in person environment where students can
environment where students can
just like you and I are right
now are in front of
each other engage in
conversation or student and
teachers need that same kind
of environment. It’s important
for them to understand that we need him back. We want him back
need him back. We want him back
and we’re looking forward to
having him back. Sumiton House.
Welcome to Houston. Thank you
for being here. Is a part of
news makers. Your first visit
to newsmakers. One of the first of what I hope will be many
of what I hope will be many
more any time this something
you want to talk about. We have
an open invite to come here to
do that. Hope you’ll do that.
We look forward to it. Also.
Thank you for being sticking
around to doing our newsmakers action will do that. Coming up.
action will do that. Coming up. You go to the Houston