Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles on failure to pass $4.4B bond: 'We did not put kids first'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Voters gave a resounding no for both Proposition A and Proposition B for the Houston Independent School District bond.

Prop A would have provided nearly $4 billion for school renovations, and Prop B would have provided $400 million for technology. About 60% of voters voted no on both.

HISD Superintendent Mike Miles said it's a blow.

"This decision is about kids. Last night, we did not do that. We did not put kids first," Miles said.

RELATED: Voters reject Houston Independent School District's $4.4 billion bond

Bob Sanborn, president of the state-wide research group Children at Risk, said his group is disappointed the bond didn't pass but felt that the "child first" message was lost in the disdain for the takeover.

"The very reason you have a bond is to improve the livelihood of these kids and make sure they are going to have this place to be successful. That wasn't what this was about," Sanborn said.

Overwhelmingly, people who spoke to ABC13 about opposing the bond said they did so because of the state takeover and their distrust in the appointed leadership. The opposition said that voting no to the bond was their way to speak out. ABC13 reporter Lileana Pearson asked Miles if he heard their message, and planned to meet the naysayers in the middle to find a way forward.

"What I'm not willing to do is work with a union that just lies about what is happening, who distorts the information, goes to personal attacks, and lies about those personal attacks. So, in that group, I'll talk to anybody, but you know what? You're going to have to be professional," Miles said.

From HISD headquarters to the offices of the teachers union, there is one agreement. The district needs money.

"We aren't saying our schools don't need repair. They are in horrible disrepair. They've been neglected for years and years. Absolutely, we need a bond, but we don't need this bond," Corina Ortiz with the Houston Federation of Teachers said.

"What we did was put another obstacle in front of kids. Many of them already have tough conditions and tough lives. Many are challenged by poverty and language barriers," Miles said.

So what's next? Miles said it's too soon to know if the district will propose a second bond. Miles said he'll work with lawmakers and seek out grants to find funding, but it won't touch the needs of the district.

"We have 12 years and $10 billion of needs. There's not enough grant money that will cover that," Miles said.

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