Houston ISD takeover exit may speed up under new Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, education experts say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Experts expect the Houston ISD takeover timeline to speed up following a change of power in Austin during the 2026 midterm election.

Jessica Campos, an HISD parent, said she is hopeful but realistic about a potential end to the state takeover of the district following the election of Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa.

"I also had lots of questions like how that transition is going to look, how long it's going to take," Campos said.

Campos said the possible end of the takeover is not the only thing she is watching. From curriculum to special education, she said there is a list of education issues she feels need to be addressed.

"Transparency has always been an issue, especially in HISD, and with this new governor, we're in hopes of having some transparency now," Campos said.

Hinojosa said during her campaign that she wants to see more control given back to districts and to replace Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. Education experts say both of those points will affect what happens to current takeovers and future ones.

"There are also areas where the commissioner has a lot of discretion, and I think that discretion is going to look a lot different under a new governor than it would have over the last 10-12 years," Duncan Klussmann, a University of Houston professor and education expert, said.

That includes how a district can exit a takeover, Klussmann said. HISD has already met most of the current criteria to end a takeover, and Klussmann said he expects the transition back to local control to speed up, including having no multi-year failing campuses.

"I think the governor-elect is going to expect those transitions to happen sooner rather than later," Klussmann said.

Morath appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles, who has been a controversial leader. ABC13 reached out to the district to ask Miles what the future of his role looks like. HISD said any discussion of a leadership change would be speculative and premature for the district to comment on.

Klussmann said the path forward depends on who Hinojosa puts in place.

"The number one thing a governor-elect has to do now is find the right people to be in place in those roles. Those folks then have to put the beliefs and thoughts into action; that's the hardest thing to do," Klussmann said.