Houston Independent School District will soon have a new superintendent.
The district’s trustees voted unanimously to name Tulsa native Millard House II as sole finalist for the role on April 21. House is currently the head of Tennessee’s Clarksville-Montgomery County school system.
HISD Board of Education President Patricia Allen made the announcement after a board meeting.
“We are confident that he brings the leadership and innovation that we need to continue improving our outcomes for the children of HISD,” Allen said. “Mr. House exemplifies all the key qualities outlined in our nationwide superintendent search criteria, which were developed with input from our HISD community.”
Allen also paid tribute to interim HISD superintendent Grenita Lathan, who served in the position more than three years, ever since the previous permanent superintendent, Richard Carranza, resigned to become chancellor of New York City’s public schools.
Lathan is leaving to become superintendent of Springfield Public Schools in Missouri.
“This board is very grateful for (Lathan’s) commitment to education and her steadfast support of our children,” Allen said.
The board for Houston’s school district, which has about 200,000 students, will officially vote on the position at its June meeting.
House comes to Houston having previously served as administrator not only in Tennessee, but in Charlotte and his native Tulsa. His father, Millard House, Sr., played a significant role in integrating the Tulsa public school system in the 1970s. The elder House retired as an associate superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools.
House takes up the post amid a fight over the district’s independence. Mike Morath, head of the Texas Education Agency, is seeking to replace all nine elected school board members and replace them with outside managers due to alleged misconduct and low-performing schools.
“It brings me great pleasure to bring not only my family but to bring my expertise to this community,” House said.
“I plan to utilize the professional experience from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Oklahoma and continue to focus on equity (and) innovation to lead HISD,” House said.
