Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to allow state’s education agency to oust Houston school board

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath appears before a Texas House committee on June 23, 2022. The Texas Supreme Court listened Thursday to arguments on whether Morath has the authority to remove and temporarily replace the Houston school district’s school board. (Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune)

The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments on a yearslong case over whether the Texas Education Agency has the authority to remove all of the Houston school district’s board members and temporarily replace them with a state-appointed board. At the center of the hearing was the impact of a law that updated the education code last year and that TEA lawyers argued cleared the path to implement the agency’s plan.

The state’s highest court took the case nearly two years after the Third District Court of Appeals sided with the Houston Independent School District and upheld a temporary injunction barring TEA Commissioner Mike Morath from taking over the board in response to the continued low performance of HISD’s Phillis Wheatley High School as well as allegations of misconduct by trustees.