Houston ISD’s appointed board of managers and elected trustees began meeting to prepare for a transition of power that could happen as soon as mid-January, district leaders said Nov. 12.
Latest update
During the regular HISD board of managers’ Nov. 12 meeting, board President Ric Campo said managers began meeting with the district’s trustees Nov. 9. The meeting was held to prepare for a smooth transition back to trustees being in power.
“The board of managers has said, and I said this publicly many times, we're working ourselves out of a job, and we're glad to do it,” Campo said. “Our goal is a smooth … prepared transition to the HISD elected trustees whenever it comes.”
A timeline was not given at the meeting for when elected trustees would resume authority for HISD. However, Campo said the board is preparing as if the change would happen as soon as mid-January.
How we got here
In June 2023, the Texas Education Agency initiated the takeover of HISD, which included the appointment of Superintendent Mike Miles and the district’s board of managers, as previously reported by Community Impact.
HISD was expected to remain governed by officials appointed by the TEA until at least June 2027, as previously reported. However, on Nov. 3, Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa promised to remove Mike Morath as commissioner of the TEA on the day she is sworn in as governor.
Eight Texas public school districts are currently controlled by boards of managers, all of which were appointed under Morath's leadership, as previously reported. Under state laws passed in 2017 and 2021, the TEA commissioner is required to close a campus or take over the district if that campus receives five consecutive failing accountability ratings.
“We will respect whatever decision that [the] governor-elect and the next education commissioner make about the timing and the structure of the [HISD] transition,” Campo said Nov. 12.
Public input
During the Nov. 12 meeting, Eliana Gottlieb, an HISD student, asked HISD’s board of managers to share needed information with the elected trustees to make the transition run smoothly.
“Please also include students in the process,” Gottlieb said. “The people this district serves should be part of it.”
Neely Stuart, an HISD parent, asked the board of managers to wind down big decision-making as the transition approaches.
“You never had a political mandate from us, the people of Houston,” Stuart said. “We in no way voted for you.”
Stay tuned
HISD managers will have multiple meetings with trustees to prepare them for the transition, according to a Nov. 6 news release from the district.
Wesley Gardner and Hannah Norton contributed to this report.
