Sparking anger and dismay among Houston educators and parents, Texas officials have announced a state takeover of the city’s public school district, the eighth-largest in the country.

The move, announced by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, Mike Morath, amounts to one of the largest school takeovers ever in the United States. It also deepens a high-stakes rift between Texas’ largest city, where Democrats wield control, and state Republican leaders.

Acting on years of threats, the Texas Education Agency will replace the school board and the superintendent and appoint a new board of managers after June 1.

The state, citing the poor performance of Wheatley High School, began making moves toward a takeover in 2019. In the last two years, Houston’s schools have improved.

Some critics of the takeover fear Texas will use the intervention to close schools and bring in charter schools and other alternatives.

About 62% of Houston’s 200,000 students are Latino, 22% are Black and 10% are white.

Education Week, March 15
Associated Press, March 16