Texas has taken over more local public school districts than any other state. Since 2023, the Texas Education Agency has appointed its own chosen leaders in eight school districts. This spring, four of them arrived. At least 268 more are in danger of being taken over, including the Austin Independent School District as of last week. To run some of these districts, Texas is relying on a group of administrators connected to Mike Miles, the official the education agency selected in 2000 to lead the Houston school system, the largest in the state. Miles is also a close ally of Mike Morath, Texas’ powerful education commissioner. At least two of these new district leaders have already begun implementing policies that mirror the controversial reforms Miles has championed in Houston. He has promoted the better test scores achieved during his leadership. Houston ISD recorded zero F-rated schools and a reduced number of D-rated campuses in the most recent state ratings, an improvement over prior years. Miles has also triggered widespread protests over the district’s inflexible use of scripted curricula and repetitive testing, the dismissal of principals and teachers, widespread school closures, and the conversion of public schools into charters. Miles did not respond to the Texas Observer’s requests for comment.
