Houston ISD Faces Extended TEA Control Until 2027, New Board Appointed
(Texas Scorecard) – Houston Independent School District will remain under the control of the Texas Education Agency through at least June 1, 2027. Alongside the extended timeline, TEA also announced the replacement of four members of the state-appointed Board of Managers.
TEA took control of Houston ISD in 2023 after years of chronic student underperformance and governance failures.
The state replaced the elected school board, appointed Superintendent Mike Miles, and implemented a series of aggressive reforms.
Since the takeover, Houston ISD has reduced the number of D- and F-rated campuses from 121 in 2023 to 41 in 2024, according to preliminary reporting.
Despite progress, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath emphasized the need for continued state involvement to ensure long-term improvement.
'Houston ISD has always been a district with some of the highest performing schools in the country, but it was also a district that allowed some of its schools to fail students for over a decade,' Morath said.
Ultimately, two years has not been enough time to fix district systems that were broken for decades. The extension of this intervention will allow the district to build on its progress and achieve lasting success for students once the board transitions back to elected leadership.
To conclude the intervention, Houston ISD must eliminate all multi-year failing campuses, fully comply with state and federal special education laws, and demonstrate effective board governance.
Earlier this year, Houston ISD spent hundreds of millions of dollars without the required board approval.
Community reactions remain divided. Parent and advocacy groups praised the focus on student achievement, while critics have questioned the transparency of the appointment process and urged greater community input.
The new Houston ISD Board appointees are:
Edgar Colón: Legal expert and political science lecturer
Lauren Gore: Harvard Law graduate and general partner at LDR Growth Partners
Marty Goossen: Retired vice chairman of J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Marcos Rosales: Trial lawyer at Beck Redden LLP
Brina Morales, director of communications for the Greater Houston Partnership, celebrated the TEA extension, writing, 'Commissioner Morath is right to extend the period of reform to ensure these improvements take hold long-term, significantly impacting generations of students.'
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