The Commissioner notified the district on March 15, 2023, that he was ordering a Board of Managers to oversee governance of Houston ISD for two reasons: (1) the district has a campus that has had an unacceptable performance rating for 5 consecutive school years and (2) the district has had a conservator or management team assigned for two consecutive school years.

This is the presentation Commissioner Morath shared with the elected officials in the Texas Legislature who represent Harris County: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/houston-isd-and-tea-interventions_0.pdf

The Board of Manager appointment does not change your employment status. HISD employees should continue reporting to their designated school and/or office and perform their duties.

It is learning as usual. Students should continue reporting to class and achieve academic success at their current school. Your principals and educators will continue to support our students on their academic journeys as they have since the beginning.

Many HISD schools have made significant improvements since July 2021, thanks to our community driven five-year strategic plan which is in its second year of implementation. We look forward to continuing our improvements to ensure all schools are fully supported.

In a letter to Houston ISD families and staff, Commissioner Morath said he will focus on recruiting a group of Houstonians to serve on the Board of Managers.

The TEA’s job description says appointed managers would have to be eligible voters within district boundaries. It also outlined that the board should include some members from across the district, current district parents, people with leadership experience, and people with backgrounds in fields such as teaching, social work, psychology, business, finance or law.

The TEA is accepting applications for managers for Houston ISD until April 6. HISD does not play a role in the assignment of board managers. For more information click here.

Currently, all trustees remain in their positions representing their respective districts until the TEA appoints the board managers. When the Board of Managers is appointed, the current elected trustees will maintain their seats and can continue serving in an advisory capacity, but they will have no authority.

The new board of managers will be appointed for at least two years.

The state will look at three main factors before releasing the district back to elected control:

1. No campuses receive a D or F state rating for multiple years.
2. The district's special education program must be in compliance with federal and state requirements.
3. A school board that is highly focused on student outcomes. For example, one measure is how much time at a school board meeting is devoted to discussing student outcomes versus how much time is devoted to discussing administrative factors.

HISD students, families, and staff will continue to be laser-focused on positive academic outcomes, student safety, and college and career readiness. Any updates concerning the HISD board will be updated through the district’s various communication channels.

It is learning as usual. Students will continue to receive instruction and support at their schools from their principals, educators, support staff, and the district at large.