TEA Takeovers and Texas Teacher Retention: A Growing Crisis

The Texas Education Agency's recent wave of district takeovers is creating unprecedented challenges for teacher retention across the state. With Fort Worth, Lake Worth, Beaumont, and Houston ISDs now under state control, educators are facing an uncertain future that threatens to accelerate an already critical teacher shortage. 

The Scope of State Intervention 

The TEA's takeover strategy replaces locally elected school boards with state-appointed boards of managers after districts have campuses that receive five consecutive failing ratings. Houston ISD's 2023 takeover marked the largest intervention in state history, followed by Fort Worth ISD in October 2025, and most recently Lake Worth and Beaumont ISDs in December 2025. These takeovers affect hundreds of thousands of students and tens of thousands of educators across Texas. 

The Teacher Retention Crisis 

Houston ISD's teacher turnover rate reached 32.2% compared with the statewide average of 18.8% in 2024-25, representing nearly one in three teachers leaving. The Houston Federation of Teachers reports that educator departures have reached alarming levels under state-appointed leadership, with teachers citing low morale, scripted curriculum, and performance-based pay systems tied to test scores as key factors driving them away. 

Houston ATPE President Mike Holton notes that experienced teachers with 20-25 years of service are waiting to retire or move on, representing an exodus of institutional knowledge. The implementation of the New Education System (NES) in Houston has required teachers to reapply for their positions, implement rigid curriculum with limited autonomy, and face potential reassignment for non-compliance. 

Ripple Effects Across Texas 

The Fort Worth and Lake Worth takeovers suggest these retention challenges will spread. Early reactions from educators in newly affected districts reveal deep concerns about job security and professional autonomy. Community leaders warn that the timing adds stress during an already difficult period for educators. 

Research from the Learning Policy Institute emphasizes that Texas has experienced teacher shortages and workforce instability driven by high attrition rates for decades, with shortages especially acute in mathematics, special education, and bilingual education. The TEA's own Teacher Vacancy Task Force found that increasing compensation, strengthening training and support, and improving work conditions are essential for retention—yet state takeovers often disrupt these very elements. 

Long-term Implications 

A 2021 national study on state takeovers found no evidence that they lead to academic improvements, while research shows that removal of locally elected school boards closes an entry point into political participation for communities of color. When teachers leave in large numbers, students lose consistent, high-quality instruction and the relationshipsessential for learning. 

As Texas faces these multiple simultaneous takeovers, the state must confront a critical question: Can academic improvement be achieved through interventions that destabilize the teaching workforce? The evidence from Houston suggests that while test scores may rise in the short term, the long-term costs to teacher retention and community trust could undermine sustainable educational progress. 

Sources: 

• Texas Education Agency. (2025). Employed Teacher Attrition and New Hires 2015-2016 through 2024-2025. 

• Houston Chronicle. (2025). Teacher turnover data analysis. 

• Learning Policy Institute. (2023). Strengthening Pathways Into the Teaching Profession in Texas. 

• Association of Texas Professional Educators. (2023). TEA Takeovers analysis.