CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System announced Friday that Director of Schools Millard House II has been named the lone finalist for the superintendent of Houston Independent School District in Houston, Texas, and will be leaving the school district.
This comes after months of contention surrounding House’s request for an increase in salary, which was a major factor in CMCSS budget discussions for the 2021-22 school year.
In April, the Montgomery County Commission ultimately voted down his proposed pay raise.
“I will miss the students, employees and community members with whom I have built strong relationships over the past four years,” House said in a news release.
“I have learned a lot from the talented educators and leaders in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. I will utilize my professional experiences from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Oklahoma and my continued focus on equity and innovation to lead Houston ISD,” House continued.
The vote on House’s appointment from the HISD Board of Trustees was unanimous, according to reports from KHOU.
With around 30,000 employees serving more than 200,000 students in 276 schools, Houston ISD is over five times larger than CMCSS and is the largest school district in Texas and seventh largest in the nation, the news release said.
“I will be working with the CMCSS School Board and my Senior Leadership Team to make recommendations for the smoothest and most orderly transition possible over the coming weeks,” House continued in the news release. “The 2020-21 school year was likely one of the most difficult school years we’ve ever faced in public education, and I want to ensure as I exit that CMCSS is set up to have a great 2021-22 school year.”
House has been CMCSS’ director of schools since 2017. Under his leadership, the district has continued to advance as a high-performing school system, receiving state and national recognition for its accomplishments and innovation, including CMCSS K-12 Virtual School, the Early Technical College at TCAT, Barksdale Elementary Spanish Immersion Program, 1:1 technology for students in K-12, and Teacher Residency Pathways, to name a few.
During his tenure with CMCSS, 26 schools were named TN Reward Schools for performing in the top 5% in the state and all eight high schools ranked in the top 25% in the U.S. News and World Report.
Earlier this month, House was named the TN Mid-Cumberland Superintendent of the Year. While leading CMCSS, he was selected for Chiefs for Change, one of the most prestigious honors for a superintendent with a membership including the current TN Commissioner of Education and superintendents from Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
He was also selected by the Commissioner of Education and his colleagues to be the Director-at-Large for the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS) in 2019.