90°
The last superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) before it was taken over by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has found a new job on the East Coast.
Per a report from Houston NPR affiliate Houston Public Media (HPM), Washington, D.C.-area public school district Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) tabbed Millard House II to be its new leader on Wednesday.
HPM reported that House, who was ousted as part of the TEA intervention that officially began earlier this month, is the successor to the retiring Dr. Monica Goldson.
"I will be coming into this school system working closely over the next 90 days with Dr. Goldson to ensure that I listen and I learn," he said in the report. "I spent time going to 18 different communities in the Houston area to hear from parents, students and community members around what it is that they think is very important."
According to the PGCPS website, House said he considers his new role “an honor and a pleasure.”
“I look forward to listening and learning in the days ahead in an effort to build upon a rich tradition of educating students in an equitable manner,” he said.
Located in the State of Maryland with its administrative offices in the town of Upper Marlboro, PGCPS has an enrollment of more than 100,000 students.
Washington, D.C.-based ABC affiliate WJLA reported that House said a top priority in his first year at the helm is improving eighth-grade performance.
“Our performance of our eighth graders which we know has been a struggle, and that transition from eighth to ninth grade is a very difficult one anyway,” he said in the report.
Goldson told the station it was the first time in a while in which the old and new superintendents engaged in a true transition.
"What’s most important is that our students don’t miss a beat, and that is what Superintendent House and I both are focused on,” she said, WJLA reported.