Texas Education Agency Expands District Takeovers, Installing Allies of Houston Superintendent
Since 2020, the Texas Education Agency has assumed control of eight local school districts. New appointees with ties to Mike Miles are reshaping governance in districts with majority Black and Hispanic populations, coinciding with a state voucher expansion.
The Texas Education Agency has assumed control of eight local school districts since 2020, with four additional takeovers occurring in the spring of 2026. The agency has installed state-appointed leaders in these districts, many of whom have professional ties to Mike Miles, the superintendent of Houston ISD and a close ally of TEA Commissioner Mike Morath. At least ten additional districts, including the Austin Independent School District, are currently at risk of state takeover.
New appointees in Beaumont, Lake Worth, and Fort Worth ISDs have begun implementing operational changes, including suspending local board governance policies, cutting staff positions, and closing schools. Critics and parent organizers allege that these new leaders are replicating the "New Education System" model from Houston, characterised by scripted lessons, rigid testing, and reduced teacher autonomy. The expansion of state takeovers coincides with the rollout of a state school voucher program, which provides up to $10,000 for private school tuition, though private schools are exempt from the state accountability standards used to justify takeovers.
Texas law allows the TEA to take control of districts with multiple failing school ratings or governance issues. Since 2015, five consecutive failing state ratings at just one school can trigger a takeover. The Legislature passed a law in 2021 that barred districts from using public funds to challenge the education commissioner’s decision to take them over, and a 2025 law restricted districts from suing the state over accountability ratings.
New superintendent appointees in Beaumont and Lake Worth, who previously worked under Miles in Houston, have cited the Houston model as a blueprint. In Beaumont, the board of managers voted to suspend policies related to governance and hiring practices, cut mental health support positions, and announce a high school closure. In Fort Worth, the new leadership has suspended local board governance and cut dozens of staff positions, including those supporting English-language learners.
Academic experts and community advocates argue that the takeovers disenfranchise local communities, particularly in districts with majority Black and Hispanic populations. The acceleration of takeovers and the state’s increasingly stringent rating system occurs as Texas rolls out a school voucher program, which awards parents $10,000 in state funds for private school tuition, where students do not have to take the standardized tests required in public schools.
