Education Newsfeed

On Monday Oct. 21, the Texas Tribune and Austin Current brought together AISD advocates and people who have lived through and researched Houston ISD’s takeover to discuss what Austin ISD could face. Austin ISD is on the brink of becoming the next Texas district taken over by the state. In August Burnet and Webb middle schools received their fifth straight failing rating. Triggering a law that directs Commissioner Mike Morath to either close the schools or appoint a board of m

Texas schools are beginning the first year of a major change in how special education is funded. Under House Bill (HB) 2, passed by the Legislature in 2025, districts have to document the intensity of services each student receives rather than relying primarily on the classroom setting where those services are provided. Special education is one of the most underfunded portions of the school finance system; schools were short $1.8 billion in 2025-2026.

Governor Abbott requested a report detailing a financial audit of four representative Texas school districts, including some big and small names.

Approximately three years after the state seized control of Houston ISD, Texas officials have increasingly held up the district as evidence that state intervention works. There’s numbers they can point to as HISD had 56 F-rated campuses before the takeover and has five this year, while many schools operating under state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles’ New Education System (NES) have posted significant gains under the state accountability system. But three years is also

A primer on TEA's accountability ratings: their history, why they're used, why they're not the best barometer for a school's performance and what that all means for Austin ISD.

Midland ISD is taking aim at recapture and Austin ISD is fighting shake off a potential TEA takeover. While their goals are different, both these challenges signal broader disgruntlement over local control and state intrusion.