Houston ISD could hand power back to its elected trustees as early as January, closing out a three-year state takeover of the largest school district in Texas.
The district's state-appointed board has ruled out locking in the changes made under state control. Reforms enacted during the takeover will be left to whoever governs next, board president Ric Campo said Thursday, and HISD is already assembling a transition package covering budgets, transportation, academics and daily operations. The two boards have begun meeting to prepare for the handoff.
The shift traces to Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa's pledge to remove Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on her first day in office and end state takeovers. Morath replaced HISD's elected board with a board of managers in June 2023 and installed Mike Miles as superintendent. A new commissioner holds the authority to replace some or all of the current managers.
Miles remains an open question. His contract runs through June 2030, and Hinojosa has not laid out her plans for him. His tenure is a separate matter from the takeover itself, which cannot end until the district clears benchmarks on academic performance, board governance and special education compliance.
That unfinished work is already generating friction. Elected trustees objected when the appointed board approved a roughly $92 million contract for a new career and technical education center, arguing the decision belonged to the incoming local leaders. Parents and community members at the same meeting celebrated the prospect of elected control returning.
"We're working ourselves out of a job, and we're glad to do it," Campo said of the board's role, insisting the transition must never come at the expense of Houston students.