5 Texas school districts face state takeovers. Here’s what to know.

Several Texas school districts, including Fort Worth, are at risk of takeover by the Texas Education Agency. Here’s a look at what that means.

This summer, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath notified five school districts that the state could take them over after at least one school in each received a failing grade for five consecutive years. 

The Texas Education Agency, which Morath oversees, rates school districts throughout the state on an A-F scale based on three categories: Student achievement, which is test scores and graduation rates; school progress, or how students improve over time; and closing the gaps, which looks at how well schools are making sure students of all backgrounds are successful.

The rating system is controversial, and in a 2023 lawsuit, school districts argued that the rating system made it harder to achieve an A—despite improved performances. They also argued that the scores penalized districts for factors they don’t control, such as standardized tests. The lawsuit delayed the scores in recent years, but the state eventually released school ratings for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years in August, and the 2022-23 school year in April.

And five districts—Connally, Lake Worth, Beaumont, Wichita Falls, and Fort Worth—have all received five consecutive failing grades at one or more of its campuses, which is the legal threshold to trigger state action.

Texas law allows state takeovers

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed HB 1842, which outlined the process for the state to intervene in school districts with campuses that fail state accountability ratings for a consecutive number of years.

The law mandates that Morath must first order an underperforming school or district to create a campus improvement plan, which includes ways to improve student performance with input from parents and other community members. Morath has the sole authority to approve the plan, close the school, or take over the district. 

If an improvement plan is implemented and is not successful in returning a school or district to a passing grade within two years, Morath must either close the campus, order alternative management, or appoint a board of managers to intervene at the district level.

But if the plan is not approved, the commissioner can take over the district or close the school campus altogether.

What happens if a district is taken over?

If the TEA decides to intervene, Morath will replace an elected school board with appointed members who manage the district and take over school board duties, such as approving a school budget and tax rate, and setting district policies in areas like school safety and instruction.

Morath can also replace a district’s superintendent as part of the takeover, and can decide to remove the appointed board and return control to the district if the failing campus or district receives a passing grade for two consecutive years.

If the campus or district is still failing, the commissioner can extend the takeover, or replace the board of managers.

Fort Worth ISD’s fate will be decided this fall

In May, Morath notified Fort Worth ISD, which has approximately 75,000 students, of a possible state takeover after the now-closed Forest Oak Sixth Grade Center received five consecutive years of failing grades. In August, Morath visited three schools in the district and said he expects to decide the district’s fate within the next three months.

A month later, Fort Worth ISD revealed its campus-improvement plan, which would create seven “resource campuses” where the school year would be expanded, financial incentives for teachers whose students show strong academic growth is provided, and where principals, assistant principals, and teachers are required apply or reapply for positions.

It also mandates that teachers assigned to these campuses must have at least two years’ teaching experience, and each of those campuses have at least one licenses mental health professional, and one counselor per 300 students.

Some Fort Worth parents organized a group called Fort Worth FORT, which stands for Families Organized Resisting Takeover. The group is contacting state lawmakers, the city council, the TEA, and Gov. Greg Abbott to advocate against a takeover, according to CBS News.

Past Texas school district takeovers offer mixed results

The TEA has taken control of 15 districts since 1991, according to the Texas Legislative Study Group. Four districts have since closed; five came to a settlement in court or did not proceed with a board of managers; four were later returned to local oversight; and two are still under state control.

Most recently, the TEA took over Houston ISD—the largest districts in the state with nearly 177,000 students—in 2023. Morath appointed a new superintendent, Mike Miles, who has had a controversial tenure so far. 

Miles implemented the New Education System, which focuses on a major overhaul to school programming. 

The system dismantled school libraries in Houston ISD, emphasized student discipline by installing cameras in classrooms, required some teachers to reapply for their jobs, focused on creating short, timed lessons in class, and removed 21 independent contractors who were expected to provide special education services.

Miles also faces a lawsuit from the Houston American Federation of Teachers for mismanaging state funds and denying the district’s teachers state-funded pay raises under a new Texas law.

In June, the TEA announced that it would extend Houston ISD’s state takeover for at least another two years.