# Houston Democrats Push School Takeover Limits

> Houston Democrats propose stricter rules to end state school takeovers after Houston's district crisis.
- Title: Houston Democrats Push School Takeover Limits | Shortify
- Summary: Houston Democrats propose stricter rules to end state school takeovers after Houston's district crisis. Houston Democrats want state education officials to…
- Keywords: houston, democrats, school takeover, state education, hisd, mike miles, texas education agency, takeover threshold, news, local, Push, School
- Source: The Texas Tribune — https://feeds.texastribune.org/link/16799/17492481/texas-school-takeover-power-limits-houston
- Author: Sneha Dey, Megan Menchaca
- Published: 2026-10-09T00:42:40+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: houston, democrats, school takeover, state education, hisd, mike miles, texas education agency, takeover threshold, news, local
## Houston Democrats Push School Takeover Limits
Houston Democrats want to limit state-appointed officials' power during school takeovers of struggling districts.
## Houston Commission Recommends Guardrails
A Houston commission recommended raising the bar for state education commissioner intervention during school takeovers.
## Commission Report Details Challenges
The commission found broken community relationships, a hostile environment for teachers, and unsustainable financial stewardship during Houston's takeover.
## Molly Cook Proposes Higher Threshold
State Sen. Molly Cook plans legislation to require 10% of a district's campuses failing ratings before triggering a takeover.
## Two-Year Grade Requirement
Cook's proposal would end takeovers after two consecutive years of acceptable grades for struggling campuses.
## Local Referendum for Takeover End
The commission recommended local referendums to decide when takeovers end and setting guardrails for state-appointed board members.
## Houston ISD Enrollment Drops
Houston ISD lost tens of millions of dollars due to enrollment drops and had to dip into reserves for reforms.
## Superintendent Miles Defends Reforms
Houston Superintendent Mike Miles said enrollment declines are due to low birth rates and immigration losses, not the takeover.
## Key takeaway

Houston Democrats want state education officials to require two years of acceptable grades before ending school takeovers in Houston.