Tex. agency to take over Houston school district

In a controversial and aggressive move, the Texas Education Agency will take over management of the Houston Independent School District, the state’s largest, following poor ratings for at least 50 schools in the system and a four-year legal battle.

Agency Commissioner Mike Morath wrote a letter to the Houston district’s board of trustees Wednesday morning announcing the takeover, which will include the appointment of a new superintendent and a board of managers to replace current trustees, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Washington Post. The appointments will not take effect until June 1, per the letter.

“Ultimately, what caused Houston to come across this threshold was [that] they operate a number of campuses that for years have lacked the necessary structural support from the district such that they see chronic low performance,” Morath said in an interview Wednesday. “A board of managers of Houstonians is being appointed to serve students as effectively as possible and to be laser focused on meeting the needs of kids.”

Millard House II, superintendent of the Houston district, wrote in a statement to The Post that he took the job in 2021 fully understanding that a state takeover might be in the offing.

“For our students and families, it is education as usual, and the school year continues as normal,” House wrote. “As we wrap up this school year, my focus will be on working with our Board of Trustees and the TEA to ensure a smooth transition without disruption.”

The takeover comes after the school district has seen significant academic gains over the past 19 months. The move stoked a partisan divide Wednesday, garnering praise from Republicans but stirring outrage on the political left, with some Democratic politicians and a state teachers union charging the takeover is unnecessary for academic reasons and politically motivated. The Houston district has a reputation as a liberal stronghold, while Morath and the state leadership of Texas, including Gov. Greg Abbott, is Republican.

The dispute between Houston and the state dates to 2019, when Morath first tried to force out the board overseeing the district after years of poor academic performance at Phillis Wheatley High School and allegations of misconduct by trustees. Texas law stipulates the state must take over or close a local district if the district receives a failing grade on state assessments five years in a row.

That law, passed in 2015 on a bipartisan basis according to Morath, was born of the standards movement, which pushed to hold accountable schools that failed to raise test students’ scores by imposing consequences including loss of control. Although the movement has lost steam and public support in recent years, the law remains in place in Texas.

The Houston Independent School District sued the agency to stop its proposed takeover in November 2019, and the move was put on hold by the courts. But in January, the state Supreme Court cleared the way for the state to go through with its takeover. Last week, the district school board voted to drop its lawsuit entirely.

In the intervening years, as the suit progressed, the Houston school system saw improvements. Along with the naming of a new superintendent, House, much of the school board turned over — and grades on state assessments went up. In the most recent round, the district earned a “B” overall, and the troubled Wheatley High School improved to a “C” grade. On the state report cards released in August, about 94 percent of Houston schools earned a passing grade.

Over the past 19 months, the number of campuses receiving “D” or “F” ratings dropped from 50 to 10, out of more than 270 schools. In his statement Wednesday, House referenced this progress, attributing it to the “hard work of our students, teachers, and staff.”

In his letter, commissioner Morath praised the district’s recent accomplishments, but said they were insufficient to forestall a takeover.