Mayor Sylvester Turner, lawmakers, NAACP considering possible takeover of TEA Houston ISD

HOUSTON – Possible takeover Texas Educational Agency still coming Houston ISDlargest school district in the state.

This decision could be made as early as next week. However, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner scheduled to oppose the takeover on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, many families are waiting to see what happens next. HISD has about 200,000 students.

Turner will be joined by several local lawmakers from Discovery Green, where they are expected to oppose takeover rumors.

Earlier this week, the mayor said the takeover could happen by Monday. However, now that it’s out in the open, he says he thinks it might not happen.

Talk of a possible takeover by TEA is not new. The idea has been brewing since 2019 due to the district’s underperforming schools and alleged misconduct by board members.

However, county supporters say the situation has improved since then.

HISD Superintendent Millard House II said he hadn’t heard anything official from TEA yet.

“To date, the county has not received formal notice of TEA. I remain focused on fulfilling my duties as superintendent along with our Board of Trustees to ensure the best possible learning outcomes for all HISD students, no matter what,” House said.

Meanwhile, TEA said it is still reviewing the Texas Supreme Court’s decision to determine next steps.

So far, at least 15 districts have survived the TEA takeover since 1991.

HISD will be the largest area where this has happened. The next closest was El Paso, which is less than a quarter the size of Houston.

In the Greater Houston area, what used to be ISD La Marque was forced to close by TEA in 2016. The area was then incorporated into the Texas City ISD due to financial problems and low academic rankings.