When Michael McDonough left Bellaire High School and Houston Independent School District, he thought his career as an educator was over.

But now, his passion for education has brought him back as a candidate for the HISD Board of Trustees, District 6.

Provided by Michael McDonough

Bellaire High School principal Michael McDonough poses for his headshot. He served as principal from 2012-2022.

Principal of Bellaire (2012-2022)

McDonough worked for HISD for 31 years, 19 of which were spent in various leadership positions from soccer coach to assistant principal. In the last 10 of those 31 years, he served as principal of Bellaire High School.

“Leadership isn’t specific to a title,” McDonough said. “As the principal, I had the responsibility for what happened on campus. But leadership is going beyond that, it’s how you can invigorate and inspire your faculty and staff. That’s how you can make sure that you’re listening to your community and finding a way forward.”

When it came to leading a cohort of around 3,000 students, McDonough said his leading principle was empathy.

“For me, the story of each kid was important,” McDonough said. “When I would walk down the hallway, anytime I saw a kid I would greet every single person with a ‘Hey, good morning.’ Making sure someone knows that you see them is critical, because everybody has a story, everybody’s carrying baggage with them. You can’t assume what each person is bringing that day, but if you make sure that they’re seen, [then] it’s significant. I think it helped me as a leader. It helped me become a better person.”

Beyond recognizing student efforts, McDonough led the HISD’s largest group of faculty and staff in the district, including around 180 teachers.

“It is a hard job to come and teach kids because it’s a giant responsibility,” McDonough said. “And working in schools takes a tremendous amount of energy. It is hard and intense. Through all of that, a leader has to help sustain that effort to keep pushing along and [say], ‘You’re exactly who a kid needs tomorrow.”

Study Abroad and Clubs Coordinator, English Department Chair and teacher Elizabeth Chapman worked under McDonough for nine years. Chapman was also hired during his tenure as principal.

“Mr. McDonough really believed in giving students and teachers autonomy to make good choices,” Chapman said. “He gave a range of freedom, and in instances where people need more support and structure, he would provide that. His default is to trust people. And I think that’s why Bellaire has been able to do so much cool stuff, because when you give people freedom, they usually use it well.”

Current University of Houston student Ariana Castañeda and 2024 graduate is majoring in journalism and was a student at Bellaire High School under McDonough from 2021-2023. She said she remembers the empathy McDonough always strived to embody.

“You’d always see him in the halls,” Castañeda said. “You’d always see him in classrooms. He’s always on the run, always on the move and always paying attention to his students. I don’t think there was a single part of that campus that went overlooked by him. And I felt that as a student journalist, as someone who was founding a club, as a student. I felt that in every way during my time at Bellaire.”

Provided by Michael McDonough

McDonough signs a commemorative beam now placed atop the school’s roof above the natatorium in 2020. The seniors of the time had the opportunity to sign the beam throughout the day, and McDonough signed it towards the end.

Running again (July 9)

McDonough left Bellaire before the 2022-23 school year and retired from HISD in October of 2022.

Following his retirement, McDonough shifted to a new part-time job at the University of Houston, becoming an adjunct professor for a teaching course. But after only two years away from HISD, McDonough returned to the K-12 classroom.

“When the takeover occurred, I would have principals, even teachers calling me once or twice a week, in one case crying, wondering how they’d make through the rest of the year or even the week,” McDonough said. “The board of trustees – I felt it was a call to service.”

McDonough announced his new campaign for the HISD Board of Trustees District 6 on July 9 through his Instagram.

“I believe in the promise of public education, and I need your help,” McDonough wrote in his Instagram statement. “While education and politics have certainly become more entangled, I remain optimistic that better days lie ahead. There’s a stronger case to be made for public education, and it’s on us to make it clear and compelling.”

While the HISD Board of Trustees currently serves purely as an advisory board in the midst of the TEA takeover of HISD, McDonough stated he still was interested in running for the sake of the kids in the district for when HISD eventually would restore power to the elected Board of Trustees once they deemed it possible.

Current Campaign (Present)

McDonough’s campaign centers on a lot of experience within Houston’s schools. He said the support he has received reflects the relationships he built throughout his career and the belief that other people still have in his leadership.

“Current teachers, former teachers, principals, assistant principals, a lot of people from the education community are reaching out,” McDonough said. “I mean, the K-12 education system is where I spent 30 plus years.”

In particular, students in college who are donating money to his GoFundMe/campaign donation link means a “ton” to McDonough himself, he said.

“I’ve also had students who are doing internships or starting their first jobs tell me, ‘Mr. McDonough, I can do $25 right now; I wish I could do more.’ And I say, “I’m happy that you are even taking the time out to reach out to donate.”

For McDonough, the campaign and stepping back into the K-12 education system again is about optimism and a belief that the district could move toward something better.

“I’m coming back out of retirement because I’m an optimistic person,” McDonough said. “I’m a hopeful person, and I believe in public education and that this district can be better for our kids. I think I have a particular set of experiences that can help with that and a level of integrity that students can value and count on.”

McDonough said that his experience inside classrooms and leading campuses have prepared him to take on challenges at the district level.

“Having been in a classroom with kids and having had the responsibility of being a school leader, I’ve worked with the community when they agree and [even] when they disagree,” McDonough said. “Managing the budget, learning how to make tough decisions with a few dollars, I’ve had that experience of having to make those tough decisions, so I think all of that strengthens me as a candidate.”

Castañeda, who grew up attending HISD schools and now helps with messaging in the campaign, said her connection to the district makes the campaign personal to her. “This campaign is incredibly important to me,” Castañeda said. “So when I saw that McDonough was running, it made all the sense in the world for me to be a part of it somehow.”

Castañeda said her work on the campaign focuses on making people in the community aware of McDonough. She said McDonough is someone people listen to.

“One of the challenges and obstacles of this campaign is that [McDonough] is running in a district he lived in for a while but never taught in,” Castañeda said. “Nobody really knows him from the West Side or Briar Forest area. People don’t go out of their way to vote unless it’s important to them.”

She said McDonough represents a promise to make the opportunity of HISD students going to college possible for more students.

“It matters to me that McDonough is someone who can carry out that promise of making us better,” Castañeda said. “ We’re saying ‘Let’s start to finally listen to families, to students. Let’s create an educational system that we can all benefit from – not just the people who can afford college, but the people who are completely new and foreign to Houston, to this country and make it so that everyone has their own path to to propel themselves forward.’”

Voting for HISD Board of Trustee elections opens for early voting on Oct. 20. The election will officially begin on Nov. 4.