Oppose State Takeovers of Lake Worth, Connally, and Beaumont ISDs

I am writing to urge you to oppose all state takeovers of Texas school districts, including the Texas Education Agency's planned interventions in Lake Worth ISD, Connally ISD, and Beaumont ISD. Commissioner Mike Morath announced these takeovers in December 2025, with informal hearings scheduled later this month. These interventions will replace democratically elected school boards with state-appointed boards of managers, stripping local communities of their voice in education decisions. The state justifies these takeovers based on five consecutive failing grades under the A-F accountability system, which relies heavily on STAAR testing. Lawmakers have already voted to replace STAAR in 2027, acknowledging this assessment tool's inadequacy. Using a metric the state itself has deemed insufficient to dismantle local governance makes no sense. These takeovers disproportionately target minority and low income communities. Lake Worth serves students where only 22% meet grade level, Connally serves students where only 24% meet grade level, and Beaumont serves students where only 30% meet grade level. Rather than providing these communities with additional resources and support, the state removes local accountability and opens the door for private interests to profit from public education. The Houston ISD takeover, which began two years ago, demonstrates this pattern. While test scores improved, this came through hyperfocus on testing and moving students into less rigorous classes rather than genuine educational improvement. Meanwhile, teacher departures skyrocketed and thousands of students left the district. Beaumont already experienced a state takeover from 2014 to 2020, yet faces intervention again, proving this model fails to create sustainable improvement. Board President Thomas Sigee Sr. of Beaumont ISD asked why the state takes over entire districts instead of addressing individual struggling campuses. This approach suggests motivations beyond student welfare, particularly when takeovers consistently benefit private management companies and charter operators at the expense of communities that need investment in their public schools. I urge you to advocate for legislation that ends the state takeover model entirely and provides struggling districts with resources rather than state control. Oppose these specific takeovers during the December appeal process.