IS A COMPROMISE POSSIBLE WITH MIKE MILES?

An Exclusive Interview with Dallas Business Owner/ Activist Joyce Foreman
TPT: Ms. Foreman, first of all, thanks for this time. Where does your passion come from as it relates to DISD?

Ms. JF: Dallas is my home. I grew up here. Graduated from Lincoln High School. Attended El Centro College here. I have been active with DISD for 35 years. Served in every possible corner of this city. I ran a business here in downtown Dallas for over thirty(30)years.

TPT: Speaking of service how many boards have you been a member of?

Ms. JF: I have served on about forty(40)boards in Dallas. Remember now, I served for five(5)years with the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce and was the only black female on that board with white men.

TPT: Share with us, a short list of . . .your foremost mentors?

Ms. JF: Ok. Dave Fox, County Judge; Ron Haddock, FINA; Myrtle Salone, Maxine Thornton-Reese, Mable Chandler, all former DISD Teachers and of course my good friend, Robert “Rabbit” Thomas.

TPT: Ms. Foreman, is a compromise possible with Superintendent Mike Miles?

Ms. JF: No.

TPT: Let’s talk about this. When did you first meet Superintendent Mike Miles.

Ms. JF: My first contact with him was June of last year when he got here. A group of us met with the Superintendent to give him our perspective and history of the district. We placed emphasis on the 40,000 black students in the district. We shared with him concepts that a former board president implemented and we wanted his thoughts on parental engagement.

TPT: How long did the meeting last?

Ms. JF: That first meeting was about thirty(30)minutes.

TPT: How did you feel after this initial meeting?

Ms. JF: He was not interested. He was not listening. He had a plan and an agenda led by certain elected Dallas officials and the business leaders that did not include the community. There was no community buy-in. It was the attitude that ‘we know what’s best’. So, we thought, let’s give him some time and schedule another meeting later.

TPT: What happened at the second meeting with Superintendent Mike Miles?

Ms. JF: About five of us met with him again and it was about the same as the first meeting. He was not listening. We were left to feel that it was a waste of his time. He was not going to entertain any ideas that would take away from his cookie cut plan. Mind you. . . we were asking legitimate questions about our children. Here you are. . .you just got here. . . brand new in the district, and you want to control the meeting and treat the community as though they are meddling.

TPT: How did you feel about his performance the first year?

Ms. JF: He made too many blunders. His sources unreliable. He continued to go around us and not work out the issues with the people involved. If he had listened to us, he could have avoided the disaster with the principals. We did not like the way it was done. This person is not a good fit for our community. . . nor our children.

TPT: You conducted your own research. Tell me what your found about the Superintendent?

Ms. JF: First of all, I do not understand how he got here. He came from a district with 11,000 students, and 22 campuses. Now compare that to
Dallas with 150,000 students and 223 campuses. Something is wrong with this picture. He was there for six years, with documented problems during his tenure in his former job, i.e., teachers leaving district, no community meetings.

TPT: Final question. Since there is no chance of compromise, what are the plans going forward?

Ms. JF: The next agenda should include input from the community. That is the key for a successful tour of duty with our children.

TPT: Thank you Ms. Foreman. Appreciate your time.