Each week, “Answer Key” aims to help families by responding to an important question about education and schools in Greater Houston. If you have a question for us to answer, please email us at education@houstonlanding.org or fill out the form at the end of this article.
This week’s question:
When could Houston ISD move back to an elected school board, marking the end of the state takeover?
Perhaps the biggest question hanging over Houston ISD — how long will the state takeover of the district last — recently resurfaced when state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles predicted the possible timeline.
Speaking at a March 27 annual luncheon for the HISD Foundation, a fundraising nonprofit supporting the district, Miles suggested “we could start at the end of the third year” of the takeover — summer 2026 — to begin bringing elected trustees back onto the district’s school board.
“I’ve been working hard, even as much as I love Houston, to leave Houston and return the district back to an elected board,” Miles said, echoing similar comments from last year. “That is the charge.”
HISD Communications Chief Alexandra Elizondo later said in an interview with the Landing to “make very little meaning” of Miles’ comments. The superintendent “just thought out loud” in response to a question and there is “no plan here that anybody’s written down” for the appointed board’s end date, she added.
Whether or not Miles’ luncheon comments carry much weight, they come just months before the HISD community will learn more about the state’s plans for gradually bringing elected trustees back onto the district’s school board.
It’s a complicated process, one that gives Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath lots of power to end or extend the intervention. Here’s what to expect.
When will HISD find out the length of the intervention?
The HISD community will likely learn more about the length of the takeover in the next two months.
Under state law, the Texas education commissioner must decide by the two-year anniversary of the takeover — which is June 1 of this year — whether to extend the intervention or announce a timeline for gradually restoring elected trustees.
Morath could decide to delay setting a timeline for ending the intervention by up to two years if he finds, after considering “local feedback,” that HISD has not yet made enough academic progress, the law says.
If he announces a timeline by June 1, the process for returning elected board members would take at least two years to complete under state law.
Is HISD likely to learn a takeover end date this spring?
HISD leaders have boasted of progress in the district, but other signs point to an extended intervention.
The Texas Education Agency has three “exit criteria” for HISD that the district must achieve before the agency returns the fully elected board:
- None of its roughly 270 schools can receive two consecutive years of D or F ratings under the state’s A-through-F accountability system.
- HISD’s special education program must be fully in compliance with all state and federal laws.
- The board must govern more effectively, with more time focused on student outcomes.
HISD made significant progress in cutting its D- and F-rated schools in 2024 and reported improvements in its special education department, while the district’s appointed board has had fewer public fights than previous elected boards.
But while HISD reduced the number of low-rated schools in 2024, 41 campuses still received D or F ratings, according to unofficial ratings released by the district. (The Texas Education Agency hasn’t officially posted ratings due to a legal ruling blocking their release.)
Official 2025 school ratings for those 41 campuses won’t be available by June 1, though agency officials might have internal access to some preliminary numbers at that time. Historical trends suggest it’s highly unlikely all 41 schools will score A, B or C grades in 2025, which would allow HISD to meet the exit criteria.
Additionally, HISD continues to lag in some areas of its special education, according to extensive audits obtained by the Houston Landing and published in February.
The exit criteria aren’t legally binding, meaning Morath could decide to begin ramping down the intervention regardless of whether HISD hits all three of the targets.
How would an eventual transition back to local control work in HISD?
Once the commissioner ultimately announces a timeline on which the HISD intervention will end, he will start by setting a date for bringing three of the district’s nine elected trustees back onto the board.
One year later, three more elected members will lead the district, meaning a majority of trustees will be elected. One year after that, HISD will return to fully local leadership.
At each step, Morath will choose which elected trustees will rejoin the board. HISD will continue to hold school board elections on its normal cycle — including five races this November — regardless of whether the board member in each position is back on the board.
Asher Lehrer-Small covers Houston ISD for the Landing. Find him @by_ash_ls on Instagram and @small_asher on X, or reach him directly at asher@houstonlanding.org.
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