And, critics of TEA takeovers say, those costs are just the beginning of expenses that come with state intervention but without state recompense.
The State of Texas’s latest takeovers of four school districts, including Fort Worth, Beaumont, Lake Worth, and Connally Independent School Districts (ISDs) have already had a direct cost to local taxpayers. All four districts were forced to negotiate settlements with superintendents ousted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in packages totalling more than $1 million.
Texas is at the forefront of public school takeovers nationwide, assuming control of districts even when just one school repeatedly fails to meet state standards. Since 2020, the TEA has installed its own leaders at eight school districts, including Houston ISD, the state’s largest. In addition to the four takeovers initiated this year, 10 more districts are potentially at risk, including Austin ISD. Multiple districts now undergoing takeovers already have projected budget shortfalls and have been forced to close schools…