State Taking over BISD in 2026, Board and Superintendent Dr. Allen Will be Replaced

By Scott Lawrence, 6KFDM Beaumont

  Beaumont — KFDM News has confirmed the TEA has decided to take over the Beaumont ISD. The takeover will become effective around spring, and be in place before school begins in August 2026, according to information TEA Commissioner Mike Morath provided to KFDM anchor Erika Harris during an interview. Erika had a candid, ten-minute Zoom interview with Morath, who was in Austin. He said it comes down to the future of the students in BISD and their needs. Morath told Erika it’s unclear how long BISD will be under state control, but a district must have a ‘C’ performance for two consecutive years before the state returns control.

  The takeover means the replacement of elected school board members with an appointed board of managers, and the replacement of superintendent Dr. Shannon Allen with a conservator. During a Thursday afternoon news conference, Dr. Allen said until the state takes over BISD, she will work with board members and remains committed to doing everything possible for BISD students, She disagrees with the takeover.

  The agency took over BISD in 2014 due to what it called financial mismanagement and issues with governance and special education. It returned control to BISD in 2020.

  TEA Commissioner Mike Morath visited Beaumont ISD schools in September as part of an assessment of the district’s future. He said Beaumont ISD was at risk of a state takeover due to five consecutive failing grades at one or more campuses. Commissioner Morath toured three Beaumont ISD campuses, including Fehl-Price Elementary School, Pietzsch MacArthur Pre-K through 8th Grade Center, and Vincent Middle School. He confirmed that the Texas Education Agency would decide whether to close the failing campuses or take over the district and replace the elected board with an appointed board of managers.

  Beaumont ISD Superintendent Dr. Shannon Allen expressed concern, stating, “Neither choice reflects a good option for students.” Dr. Allen emphasized that the district would continue its efforts regardless of the impending decision. “It doesn’t matter to me because it’s not going to change the effort, the intensity, and the output of what we’re doing. We’re going to continue to work hard and diligently to implement the curriculum with fidelity,” she said.

  Commissioner Morath stated that his top priority is ensuring all students have the best opportunity to learn and master their required subjects. Dr. Allen acknowledged that Beaumont ISD has areas to refine and pledged that the district will work to ensure every student is performing at grade level.

  Back in August, Commissioner Morath told KFDM that BISD had too many failing schools for too many consecutive years. TEA accountability ratings show BISD receiving a fifth consecutive failing grade for at least one of their campuses, enough to trigger possible state action, according to the TEA.

  Beaumont ISD received a 68, earning a D but only two points away from a C. However, several BISD campuses earned Fs, including: Charlton-Pollard Elementary; Fehl-Price Elementary; Homer Drive Elementary; Martin Elementary; Pietzsch-MacArthur Elementary; Smith Middle School; and Vincent Middle School.

  Here’s what Morath told us in August. “The way the laws of Texas are written, we pride ourselves on local control, but if there is some very, very significant problem inside a school district, it really demands action on behalf of the students and taxpayers,” Commissioner Morath told us. “In the case of Beaumont ISD, they’re one of a very small number of districts in the State of Texas that has an individual campus that has been academically unacceptable for at least five consecutive years, and actually, because of the disruptions from COVID, this is more like 8 or 9 consecutive years. If a district is in a situation where they have a campus that has been unacceptable for five years in a row, whoever the Commissioner of Education is, is required under state law to do one of two things. It’s only these two choices and one of them has to happen. One, either the school is ordered closed, or the elected leadership of the board for the whole district is replaced with an appointed board of managers. So, we’re in a situation, unfortunately, where Beaumont has crossed that Rubicon, because students have been in failing schools for an extended period of time.” Morath says during the next several months, he’d work with his office to evaluate the best course forward to support the students and taxpayers of Beaumont

  “The reason we have school is for children to learn reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and how to grow in their character,” said Morath. “What we want to see in Beaumont is no different than what we want to see everywhere. We want to see children in every classroom, every day, the best academic support they have to maximize their potential. So, the degree of academic turnaround that is necessary at some of those campuses in Beaumont is significant, and it is going to require some significant changes of action. Absolutely, there’s a lot of lessons learned for what has happened in the last several years,” said Morath. “Certainly, the Beaumont ISD leadership team has been bold in attempting to get results, but ultimately what matters is getting results.”

  Other districts the TEA has taken over include Houston ISD, the largest district and the most prominent takeover, initiated in 2023 due to issues at Wheatley High School, implementing significant reforms. Fort Worth ISD (FWISD): The second-largest district taken over, following the pattern of other large urban districts facing state intervention. Marlin ISD, Shepherd ISD, South San Antonio ISD, La Joya ISD: These smaller districts are also under state management for various governance or academic reasons, with some showing signs of improvement.