State lawmaker Jones on second HISD Board of Managers meeting: 'This is supposed to be a public meeting, and the public is not in here'

The second meeting of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Managers since the Texas Education Agency (TEA) officially commenced its takeover of the state’s largest public school district was purportedly not open to much of the public, according to reports from Houston-based media outlets. 

Houston FOX affiliate KRIV reported that the meeting on Thursday was the first to be held under the board’s new format, with frustration toward the new leadership continuing to show.

The changes drew the ire of a Houston-area state lawmaker, per KRIV.

"This is supposed to be a public meeting, and the public is not in here," State Rep. Jolanda Jones (D-Houston), herself a former HISD school board member, said in the report.

The station reported that the board conducted the meeting with different seating configurations, of which there were lesser seats for members of the public.

A Texas Tribune article that was run by Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that the board limited access to the main boardroom to a select few and instructed the public to go to a nearby overflow area, a practice that previous boards haven’t implemented.

According to the report, just before the meeting, protestors assembled outside of the boardroom and loudly demanded to be let inside, with the district’s police officers allegedly arresting a man for an unspecified offense.

The meeting was live-streamed to those in the overflow room.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the board approved the application of a waiver for Mike Miles’ superintendent certification requirement. 

Board members also talked about HISD’s budget and changes to magnet programs at campuses that are a part of Miles’ New Education System initiative, which he announced earlier this month. 

Per KRIV, Audrey Momanaee, the board’s president, said the new meeting format is intended to allow the board and the superintendent to discuss the budget at length and is subject to change.