HOUSTON — The Supreme Court of Texas on Friday issued an opinion ruling that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) can continue its plan to remediate underperforming high schools in Houston ISD.
According to the ruling, the TEA commissioner first appointed a conservator in 2016 to address the issue of "repeated unacceptable academic accountability ratings" at one of HISD's high schools. In 2019, the TEA attempted to appoint a board of managers after a second HISD high school that had "received its fifth unacceptable rating in six years."
At that time, HISD sued to prevent a board from being appointed and an injunction was issued. Friday's ruling overturns that injunction, stating that TEA's actions are in compliance with current laws, and sends it back to trial court.
In a brief statement, TEA told KHOU 11 it is reviewing the decision.
HISD Superintendent Millard House II issued the following statement in response to the opinion:
"Today, the Supreme Court of Texas issued an opinion regarding ongoing litigation which is still currently under review by HISD’s Legal team.
"When I first came into this role, I was clear-eyed about the challenges that faced us as a district. I also knew that if we did the right work and kept students at the center of every decision we make, we could move the district in the right direction for our community.
"As Superintendent for the last 18 months, my team has been laser-focused on giving each one of our students the academic experience they deserve. Guided by community input, the district developed and is executing on its five-year strategic plan. There is still much more work to be done, but we are excited about the progress we have made as a district and are looking forward to the work ahead.
"We have raised teacher salaries by an average of 11%, improved college, career, and military readiness outcomes and celebrated strong accountability improvements across our district. These improvements have been felt across our district including Wheatley High School, Henry Middle School, and Osborne Elementary.
"Our focus is clear, and we will continue to do the necessary work to ensure continued academic achievement for all HISD students."
House II also posted a video message on the district's Twitter account, highlighting some of the points in the statement:
In August 2022, the district celebrated Wheatley High School's turnaround. Wheatley High School was the school that prompted TEA to try and appoint a board of managers.
In the 2021-2022 school year, Wheatley improved its rating from unacceptable to a C.
"The message to the state is what some thought might be impossible is possible," House II said at the time. "Our kids are capable of doing everything we want, everything we expect."