Houston ISD will be implementing a new approach to special education in the 2026-27 school year that district leaders say will better student and teacher experiences through reduced class sizes, narrowed age groups for classes and improved adult-to-student ratios.
However, during a May 14 board of managers meeting, some parents expressed concern that the changes could be a detriment to special education students’ learning and emotional well-being.
What’s happening?
HISD’s revamped Special Education Success Programs are slated to roll out in the 2026-27 school year, according to the May 14 presentation from Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole.
The new programs will reorganize classrooms for about 5,000 students who were enrolled in self-contained special education programs, which provide learning settings for students who need more support than a general education classroom can offer.
According to the presentation, 60% of HISD campuses will have Special Education Success Programs. Under the changed program model, students who were in self-contained special education programs will be in classes with:
- A maximum of 15 students
- Ratios of a maximum of five students per adult
- Two grade levels or fewer per class for 95% of classes
“We will have the same services, except that they will be delivered more effectively now because the teachers will not have three or four or five grade levels in a classroom,” Superintendent Mike Miles said May 14.
The Special Education Success Programs are not offered at all HISD campuses, and some programs will be moving to new campuses, according to HISD’s website.
Put in perspective
In the 2025-26 school year, HISD leaders found that 65% of teachers with self-contained special education classes were teaching students in three or more different grade levels in one classroom, Hole said.
According to HISD’s presentation, the new Special Education Success Program model is designed to improve:
- Students’ academic performance
- Instruction quality
- Implementation of Individualized Education Plans
In the 2026-27 school year, HISD will offer new “preteach” classes where students can receive additional instruction on a topic in advance, according to HISD’s May 14 presentation.
Public input
On May 14, Kristen McClintock-Garson spoke at the HISD meeting, saying her 8-year-old son has autism and attends HISD. She asked HISD’s board of managers to stop the special education program modifications before they are rolled out.
“Because of the special education changes being implemented, [my son's] program will no longer be offered on his campus,” McClintock-Garson said. “We are being asked to choose between keeping him at his home school, where the services do not match his IEP, or moving him to an entirely different campus where he does not have friends. Neither option is appropriate for his needs.”
Margaret Alvarez—who has an 11-year-old son with autism—also urged the board to reconsider the program changes, saying taking her son out of his familiar school will disrupt his support system.
“For a child with autism, routines aren't a preference,” Alvarez said. “They are a necessity. [My son] needs ... days of prep for a simple fire drill. Removing his specialized classroom without any transition plan is a failure of leadership. You claim to put students first, yet you are leaving our most vulnerable children in a state of traumatizing uncertainty.”
Also of note
Special education students who can learn through "coteach" programs, which operate alongside general education students in classrooms, will not change campuses for the 2026-27 school year, according to the presentation. This cohort represents about 16,000 students in special education.
Reach out
HISD has set up a call line for families in special education who are impacted by the changes planned for the 2026-27 school year. Parents can call 713-556-7042 with questions.
For more information on HISD’s special education program changes, click here.
