HISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ chief of staff Kerri Briggs is leaving her current role to pursue a new position at a Texas-based advocacy group.
On Dec. 2, Briggs will take on her new role as the executive director of Educate Texas — a public school and higher education advocacy group organized under the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT). The CFT made the announcement last week on its website.
Briggs has served as Miles’ chief of staff since June 2023 when Miles was appointed by the Texas Education Agency to take over HISD. According to Briggs’ bio on HISD’s website, she has previously worked for the consulting firm Cicero Group, as an education and policy officer for ExxonMobil, and as the founding director of education reform at the George W. Bush Institute.
Briggs was also previously the state superintendent of education for Washington D.C. In 2007, she was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education by then-President George W. Bush.
“I am truly honored to join Educate Texas and Communities Foundation of Texas,” Briggs said via a CFT statement. “The opportunity to improve our critically important public system of education for students in my home state is why I pursued this role. Schools and public education are a promise and an investment that our country makes to young people and their future – we must get it right.”
Briggs’ departure comes on the heels of continued public criticism against Miles’ handling of HISD. During the Nov. 5 Election, the school district failed to pass a $4.4 billion bond proposal that had been opposed by many local groups, including both the Harris County Republican and Democratic parties. The bond would have funded rebuilds and renovations for dozens of school campuses.
According to a recent report by the Houston Chronicle, Biggs was one of the more than 40 HISD employees making a yearly salary of more than $200,000. As Miles’ chief of staff, Briggs made $252,500 a year, making her tied for second place with Chief Finance Officer James Terry in compensation. Miles currently has the highest HISD salary of $380,000, according to the Chronicle.
HISD did not immediately reply to a request for comment regarding who would fill Briggs’ position come December.
