Embattled Dallas school district Superintendent Mike Miles on Tuesday asked business leaders to support him with a special school board meeting scheduled Saturday to review his position.
Miles and school board President Eric Cowan gave the annual State of the District presentation at a Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Hilton Anatole Hotel.
Miles played movie clips to rally the crowd for the reform battle he's waging.
"I have to be honest," he said. "It's been a challenging year, and I've broken more than one bat in the tunnel. I'm asking for your help and your support."
The former Colorado school leader officially began as Dallas Independent School District superintendent in July 2012. His wife and son moved back to Colorado before the start of the 2013 school year. At the time, Miles said negative media reports were hard on his family but Miles said in his presentation Tuesday that he's still dedicated to his job.
"I'm committed to Dallas ISD," Miles told the business leaders. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. The kids need your commitment, too. We're in a story that really matters for them."
After the luncheon, Cowan said he has heard Miles' statements.
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"And it's up to the board to make that same decision -- whether we're committed to him and his efforts," he said.
On Saturday, DISD trustees will review results of a special investigation conducted for the board by former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins.
The results show Miles violated board policy and the terms of his contract by talking with certain school officials about an internal investigation concerning Miles.
Coggins' investigation also found that Miles helped a former assistant write a resignation letter critical of board members.
"I am a little bit disappointed by the latest disclosures," Trustee Lew Blackburn said.
"We as a collective body will sit down and review the report and then talk amongst ourselves about how we're going to start, how we're going to proceed forward," he said.
Cowan said no vote is posted for the Saturday meeting, so any formal decision about Miles' future will come at a later date.
During the Chamber of Commerce presentation, Cowan and Miles pointed out improvements in DISD academic performance and graduation rates but both said more progress is needed.
"We all desire the same outcome -- a better school district for the 160,000 students that we serve," Cowan said.
