HOUSTON (KIAH) — For several years, the Texas Education Agency has been fighting to remove the Superintendent and Board of Trustees of the Houston Independent School District and replace them with government-appointed officials.

Mayor Sylvester Turner told the city council on Wednesday that his “sources,” including “legislators,” say TEA will likely move ahead with those plans, and possibly as early as next week.

“They’re telling me that the state intends to take over the Houston Independent School District by replacing the entire board, replacing the superintendent, and running — taking over — the entire school district,” Turner said.

US Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Houston) intervened by asking the US Department of Education to investigate TEA to find out how it is handling the HISD takeover.

“This is a recklessly destructive decision and if taken, the education of HISD children will be irreparably damaged,” Jackson Lee said in a statement. “It seems like this decision is only made to get ahead of someone’s political agenda.”

The school district is fighting the takeover through the legal system, but a Texas Supreme Court decision in January cleared the way for TEA to pursue its takeover plans.

Turner strongly opposes this idea.

“I find it completely unsettling — completely unsettling,” he said. “There are 273 schools in this area – almost 190,000 students. How do you go in and take over the largest school district in the state of Texas? How can you do it and do it successfully?

The takeover of TEA HISD has its supporters, who believe the move will benefit the students.

Clearly, Turner is not one of them, and he doubts the state “model” – replacing the superintendent and school board with state appointees – will work.

“I was checking this morning to see if there was any successful model in the country, and there isn’t one,” Turner said. “There is no successful model of this kind in the country.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, member of Congress for Texas’s 18th district, which includes parts of the Houston area, released a statement about a possible takeover by HISD TEA:

“I believe that a government takeover, as suggested and rumored in years past, and now seems to be a reality today in 2023, is unnecessary, unfair and discriminatory. I wrote to the US Department of Education and discussed this at length with the Secretary of Education to urge an immediate civil rights investigation into the state of Texas that did not require action to take over a well performing school district. A Houston Independent School District with an elected school board, a professional superintendent, and administration, staff, and teachers dedicated to educating students and parents who want their children to attend well-supported public schools should not be placed under this authority. time.

This is a recklessly destructive decision and if implemented, HISD parenting will be irreparably damaged. It looks like this decision was made just to get ahead of someone’s political agenda. I ask the State of Texas, Texas Education Agency to cease and desist from any takeover and I ask parents, teachers, administrators and others to request that HISD be removed from the takeover list and that teachers, parents, students, administrators be allowed to enjoy the benefits of success achieved through the hard work of these leaders. The federal government must act now to stop this takeover.”