Texas officials on Wednesday announced a state takeover of Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school district, the eighth-largest in the country, acting on years of threats and angering Democrats who assailed the move as political.

The announcement, made by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, Mike Morath, amounts to one of the largest school takeovers ever in the U.S. It also deepens a high-stakes rift between Texas’ largest city, where Democrats wield control, and state Republican leaders, who have sought increased authority following election fumbles and COVID-19 restrictions.

The takeover is the latest example of Republican and predominately white state officials pushing to take control of actions in heavily minority and Democratic-led cities. They include St. Louis and Jackson, Mississippi, where the Legislature is pushing to take over the water system and for an expanded role for state police and appointed judges.

In a letter to the Houston Independent School District, Morath said the Texas Education Agency will replace Superintendent Millard House II and the district’s elected board of trustees with a new superintendent and an appointed board of managers made of residents from within the district’s boundaries.

Morath said the board has failed to improve student outcomes while conducting “chaotic board meetings marred by infighting” and violating open meetings act and procurement laws. He accused the district of failing to provide proper special education services and of violating state and federal laws with its approach to supporting students with disabilities.

He cited the seven-year record of poor academic performance at one of the district’s roughly 50 high schools, Wheatley High, as well as the poor performance of several other campuses.

“The governing body of a school system bears ultimate responsibility for the outcomes of all students. While the current Board of Trustees has made progress, systemic problems in Houston ISD continue to impact district students,” Morath wrote in his six-page letter.

Most of Houston’s school board members have been replaced since the state began making moves toward a takeover in 2019. House became superintendent in 2021.

He and the current school board will remain until the new board of managers is chosen sometime after June 1. The new board of managers will be appointed for at least two years.

House in a statement pointed to strides made across the district, saying the announcement “does not discount the gains we have made.”

He said his focus now will be on ensuring “a smooth transition without disruption to our core mission of providing an exceptional educational experience for all students.”

The Texas State Teachers Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas condemned the takeover. At a news conference in Austin, state Democratic leaders called for the Legislature to increase funding for education and raise teacher pay.

“We acknowledge that there’s been underperformance in the past, mainly due to that severe underfunding in our public schools,” state Rep. Armando Walle, who represents parts of north Houston, said.

An annual Census Bureau survey of public school funding showed Texas spent $10,342 per pupil in the 2020 fiscal year, more than $3,000 less than the national average, according to the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University in Houston.

The state was able to take over the district under a change in state law that Houston Democratic state Rep. Harold Dutton Jr. proposed in 2015. In an op-ed piece in the Houston Chronicle on Monday, Dutton said he has no regrets about what he did.

“We’re hearing voices of opposition, people who say that HISD shouldn’t have to face consequences for allowing a campus to fail for more than five consecutive years. Those critics’ concern is misplaced,” Dutton wrote.

Schools in other big cities, including Philadelphia, New Orleans and Detroit, in recent decades have gone through state takeovers, which are generally viewed as last resorts for underperforming schools and are often met with community backlash. Critics argue that state interventions generally have not led to big improvements.

Texas started moving to take over the district following allegations of misconduct by school trustees, including inappropriate influencing of vendor contracts, and chronically low academic scores at Wheatley High.

The district sued to block a takeover, but new education laws subsequently passed by the GOP-controlled state Legislature and a January ruling from the Texas Supreme Court cleared the way for the state to seize control.

“All of us Texans have an obligation and should come together to reinvent HISD in a way that will ensure that we’re going to be providing the best quality education for those kids,” Abbott said Wednesday.

Schools in Houston are not under mayoral control, unlike in New York and Chicago, but as expectations of a takeover mounted, the city’s Democratic leaders unified in opposition.

Race is also an issue because the overwhelming majority of students in Houston schools are Hispanic or Black. Domingo Morel, a professor of political science and public services at New York University, said the political and racial dynamics in the Houston case are similar to instances where states have intervened elsewhere.

“If we just focus on taking over school districts because they underperform, we would have a lot more takeovers,” Morel said. “But that’s not what happens.”

Texas Takeover in Houston

Texas Government Takes Over Houston Schools

The Texas takeover of Houston schools has many enraged, in a state that makes much of regional rights over widespread authority. On Wednesday, Texas education commissioner Mike Morath announced that the state would be taking over Houston’s public school district, which serves nearly 200,000 students. In a letter to the Houston Independent School District, the 8th largest in the country, Morath…

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AUSTIN, TX—In an effort to provide students with everything they need to know about sexual development, sexual intercourse, and pregnancy, an updated sex ed curriculum instituted Wednesday across Texas instructed children how to stone whores. “The new and improved sex education guidelines will provide comprehensive information on how to identify harlots and execute them for their disgusting, lustful ways,” said Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, adding that the course would teach students at both the middle school and high school level why loose, sexually deviant women were a scourge on society, and why they must pay the ultimate price.

Full story.

mike miles and mike morath drop dead for me pleaze 🙏🏾

Republican officials in Texas will takeover the Houston public school system. Ana Kasparian and Rm Brown discuss on The Young Turks. Watch TYT LIVE on weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live Read more HERE: https://apnews.com/article/houston-schools-texas-takeover-eae680bec5fbd3b419c2583fb850d42e "Texas officials on Wednesday announced a state takeover of Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school district, the eighth-largest in the country, acting on years of threats and angering Democrats who assailed the move as political. The announcement, made by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, Mike Morath, amounts to one of the largest school takeovers ever in the U.S. It also deepens a high-stakes rift between Texas’ largest city, where Democrats wield control, and state Republican leaders, who have sought increased authority following election fumbles and COVID-19 restrictions. The takeover is the latest example of Republican and predominately white state officials pushing to take control of actions in heavily minority and Democratic-led cities. They include St. Louis and Jackson, Mississippi, where the Legislature is pushing to take over the water system and for an expanded role for state police and appointed judges." *** The largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. Help support our mission and get perks. Membership protects TYT's independence from corporate ownership and allows us to provide free live shows that speak truth to power for people around the world. See Perks: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks/join SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: ☞ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theyoungturks FACEBOOK: ☞ http://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks TWITTER: ☞ http://www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM: ☞ http://www.instagram.com/TheYoungTurks TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt 👕 Merch: http://shoptyt.com ❤ Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go 🔗 Website: https://www.tyt.com 📱App: http://www.tyt.com/app 📬 Newsletters: https://www.tyt.com/newsletters/ If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Watchlist https://www.youtube.com/watchlisttyt Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey https://www.youtube.com/indisputabletyt Unbossed with Nina Turner https://www.youtube.com/unbossedtyt The Damage Report ▶ https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport TYT Sports ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytsports The Conversation ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytconversation Rebel HQ ▶ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq TYT Investigates ▶ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNJt9PYyN1uyw2XhNIQMMA #TYT #TheYoungTurks #BreakingNews 230316__TB01Texas by The Young Turks

Texas Parents Stand Up Against Sexual Content In School Libraries

Texas Parents Stand Up Against Sexual Content In School Libraries

by Infowars.com Far-left education tactics being confronted by concerned citizens Parents of Texas children attending public schools are working together to try and get rid of sexually graphic materials available in many school libraries. Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath issued a letter to the state’s Republican Governor Greg Abbott on April 11, 2022. The letter detailed a model…

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Original posted on Facebook by Dynette Davis. I’ve received a few calls today about the current proposal that has been submitted to the Texas Education Agency and decided to offer some education. The Texas Education Agency(TEA) and State Board of Education (SBOE) are state level agencies that make decisions for ALL ISD’s. Our Commissioner of Education is appointed by the governor. The State Board of Education is an elected office. (Nov. 2022) Hearings on this topic are set to take place in Austin this summer. If this is approved, school districts will NOT have the right to change it by law. Most times, parents don’t see these issues until it is in place at the district level, and nothing can be done. If you have questions or concerns about all things Education in the state of Texas, you should contact Commissioner Mike Morath’s office or the State Board of Education representative that was elected. Again, if this is approved, there is nothing a school district can do LEGALLY to change it. TEA: https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/leadership/commissioner/commissioners-biography SBOE: https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/leadership/state-board-of-education https://www.instagram.com/p/CffEI2xFce3fbcYGF150nkb7yT7xwfWbP-8SVI0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

hey y’all!!

texas public schools are being mandated to resume in person this ausust. even though covid rates in texas have only drastically worsened since schools transferred online in march!! students have the option to continue online learning but teachers and staff do not!! this puts the health and safety of teachers and staff at risk, as well as students of families who can’t leave their children at home.

my mom has been a texas public school teacher for 27 years so the health and safety of teachers staff and students is very important to me. unfortunately, it is illegal for teachers to go on strike in texas, so please help us by contacting gov greg abbot and education commisioner mike morath, especially my texas followers 🤠

links in this doc

Great Minds: TEA launches innovative learning solutions for K-12 Math

Great Minds: TEA launches innovative learning solutions for K-12 Math

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Education Agency announced the first set of instructional materials – covering K-12 Math – that will be made available to school systems through the Texas Home Learning 3.0 (THL 3.0) initiative.

Like other THL 3.0 offerings, these instructional materials are digitized, customized, and aligned to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)— the state standards for what…

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Testing Tyranny, Part 2

Testing Tyranny, Part 2

By: Mike McDaniel    In Testing Tyranny, Part 1,  I focused on how mandatory, high stakes testing is destroying the canon, removing enormous amounts of already scarce classroom time, and leaving little time for not only the classics, but for the kinds of writings and other assignments that actually build new abilities and form the foundation for continued learning from year to year. And in the…

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this is so obviously another consequence of texas’ pay to play system. there is no way mike morath and greg abbott aren’t getting donor money from these charters. this is so insidious. it is even alienating other republicans!

“Homeless for a month and a half after the hurricane, Justin Williams had to put his life back together while teaching Alief ISD sixth graders. Tiffany Robinson pushed students even harder to pass state tests after teachers lost 11 school days to Harvey.” This story made me cry. This is about my home, and these teachers do so much with so little support.

Watch: Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on educating students during a pandemic

Watch: Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on educating students during a pandemic

By Aliyya Swaby, The Texas Tribune Feb. 5, 2021“Watch: Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on educating students during a pandemic” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. With standardized testing on the horizon and a pandemic underway,…

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TEA appoints conservators to oversee Houston ISD special ed department

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has appointed two longtime special education administrators to oversee wide-ranging changes in Houston ISD’s delivery of services to students with disabilities, which last year came under withering criticism from state investigators. from Pocket https://ift.tt/2LfEtF7 via IFTTT

POOL REPORT: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Mega Doctor News

AUSTIN – Tessa Weinberg, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath said educators across Texas are doing everything in their power to support students amid school closures. 

Mega Doctor News a bilingual newspaper reaching your audience: Advertise with us!

“Like many parents in Texas, I’m a parent who has two young children, and we…

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