Houston Panel Calls for Local Vote to End State School Takeovers

HOUSTON — A Houston commission is urging Texas lawmakers to limit the power of state-appointed school leaders, raise the threshold for taking over an entire district and give local voters a formal role in deciding when an intervention ends.

The 14-member Commission on the HISD Takeover released an 81-page report Thursday after hearing testimony from more than 80 students, parents, educators and community members. The group was co-chaired by state Sen. Molly Cook, state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons and the Rev. Colin Bossen, with state Rep. Christina Morales and education researchers also participating.

Its recommendations include requiring broader academic failure before the Texas education commissioner may replace an elected school board. Under current law, five consecutive failing ratings at a single campus can trigger intervention across an entire district. Cook plans to propose legislation requiring failing ratings at 10% of a district’s campuses, according to The Texas Tribune.

Cook’s proposal would also require a takeover to end after struggling campuses receive acceptable ratings for two consecutive years. The commission separately recommended allowing residents to vote in a local referendum on ending an intervention, limiting the authority of the education commissioner and state appointees, and requiring appointed leaders to work with elected trustees during the transition.

The commission’s published summary calls for a shift from what it describes as a punitive intervention model toward a collaborative approach. Its report also seeks safeguards governing finances, property decisions, curriculum and community participation. The Houston Chronicle reported that HISD’s appointed board approved more than 120 policy changes from April 2025 through June 2026, while 38 were required by law or based on recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards.

The report is sharply critical of the takeover’s effect on teacher morale, classroom culture and public trust. Testimony cited by the commission described frequent monitoring, scripted instruction and concerns that special-education and bilingual students were not receiving adequate support.

State leaders and takeover supporters point to substantial academic improvement under Superintendent Mike Miles. The Tribune reported that HISD went from 56 failing campuses three years ago to five. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican, recently described the results as a success.

The financial picture remains contested. A Tribune analysis found that the New Education System costs about $700,000 more per campus in its first year and roughly $2,200 more per student afterward. HISD has also lost about 21,000 students since the takeover began, contributing to an estimated $190 million reduction in state funding.

Texas took control of HISD in June 2023, removed the elected board’s governing authority and installed a board of managers and superintendent. With other districts now facing possible intervention, the Houston commission argues that the lessons from the state’s largest school takeover should shape statewide law before the Legislature returns in January 2027.

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