Gov. Greg Abbott issued a stern warning to school districts statewide this month, threatening to take over those which \u201cencourage\u201d students to participate in walkouts protesting White House immigration enforcement operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, in classrooms across Texas, tomorrow\u2019s leaders are learning the foundational, critical thinking skills and knowledge necessary for lifelong learning, serving as the bedrock for the future success of our state and nation,\u201d the Texas Education Agency said in a recent press release.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in this spirit that school systems have been reminded of their duty and obligation to ensure that their students are both safe and that they attend school, with consequences for students for unexcused absences.\u201d<\/p>\n
The threat hasn\u2019t stopped the protests. Hundreds of students walked out of East Central High School on Feb. 13, and pupils from 50 San Antonio schools plan to march to the Alamo on Feb. 16, according to a recent press statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While these walkouts have been short-term affairs, Abbott and the TEA appear eager to intervene regardless of whether they signal any real district dysfunction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Historically, the TEA only seized districts over severe issues like plummeting student performance. Recently, though, the agency has threatened to replace elected boards with state-appointed bureaucrats for relatively minor issues \u2014 such as North East ISD\u2019s allegedly lax enforcement of the state\u2019s new cell phone ban.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s saber-rattling coincides with the rollout of Abbott\u2019s signature school voucher program, which uses taxpayer money to subsidize private education for up to 100,000 children. Opponents argue the program drains resources from already underfunded public schools, especially those in rural districts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The timing isn\u2019t lost on former South San ISD teacher Ruben Garcia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all part of an attempt to try to get as many experienced teachers as possible to leave \u2026 to replace them with inexperienced teachers who are then not going to be able to have the experience or knowledge to push back against administrators or provide a real, effective education,\u201d Garcia told the Current. \u201cThat way, when things get bad enough, they can push for privatization, because I think this has a lot to do with the vouchers push that Greg Abbott had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia left teaching this year after the state seized his district. While he admits South San ISD faced legitimate issues \u2014 it was mired in a $12 million deficit and nine superintendents went through its revolving door in 13 years. Still, he said the TEA takeover has been devastating.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want anybody to get the impression that I\u2019m suggesting things were perfect or great before [the takeover],\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWhat I want to make clear is the current leadership has made things so much worse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neither South San ISD or the TEA responded to the Current\u2019s requests for comment on this story.<\/p>\n
Crisis at South San<\/p>\n
Garcia isn\u2019t alone in his assessment of the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just 3% of district teachers say morale has improved since the takeover, according to a 2025 survey by the South San Antonio AFT union. More alarming, 71% said they have considered quitting the teaching profession entirely.<\/p>\n
At a December board meeting, teachers and union reps identified the primary culprit: state-mandated micromanagement. Garcia, another faculty member and AFT President Tom Cummins alleged the state-appointed District Educational Improvement Council (DEIC) illegally eliminated the mandatory 45-minute daily planning period for teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur concern is that the process used to justify removing this right appears fundamentally flawed,\u201d Cummins said. \u201cSpecifically, there was no formal vote by the DEIC, the agenda did not clearly identify the specific topic to be discussed, teacher representatives were given no opportunity to take the issue back to their campus, which has delegates, and they were obligated to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without planning periods, teachers are forced to develop lesson plans from scratch using vague TEA outlines, according to Garcia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
South San ISD\u2019s state-appointed superintendent, Saul Hinojosa, in a conversation with the Current, denied allegations that removcing teacher\u2019s lesson planning time was illegal, and maintains the move was voted on and approved by the District Educational Improvement Committee.\u00a0He also questioned the validity of the AFT survey results.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat [survey] is not indicative of the entire district,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, former teacher Garcia said it felt as if the goalposts moved constantly. He suggested the DEIC appeared to want teachers to fail, quit or both.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were being threatened with write-ups and disciplinary action if we didn\u2019t have two weeks of lesson plans laid out in advance in super-hyper detail,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cEven when we did turn them in, we would get constant comments, threats of write-ups. They\u2019d say \u2018Oh, well, how are you supposed to do this?\u2019 or \u2018how are you supposed to do that?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restrictions extended beyond curriculum. Popular learning platforms such as Kahoot were banned without explanation, and teachers were required to get approval for any video two weeks in advance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, if I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m teaching two weeks in advance, exactly how am I supposed to know what video I\u2019m going to show two weeks in advance?\u201d Garcia asked, rhetorically.
\u201cIt was almost like getting videos banned without banning them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia said he and fellow instructors were hit with new rule changes almost weekly. The DEIC even dictated classroom lighting and desk organization.<\/p>\n
![\"\u201cI](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bobcats-1.jpg\")
\u201cI don\u2019t want anybody to get the impression that I\u2019m suggesting things were perfect or great before [the takeover],\u201d one former teachers said of South San\u2019s state takeover. \u201cWhat I want to make clear is the current leadership has made things so much worse.\u201d Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n
Classroom inexperience<\/p>\n
The final straw for Garcia came when a DEIC official wrote him up for using an unapproved platform, despite noting in the same report that he did a \u201cgreat job presenting the material.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m somebody who loved teaching up until this year. I was one of those,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI was not planning on leaving the profession at the beginning of the school year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia, who resigned as a 9th grade social studies instructor, said he\u2019s worried he and others are now being replaced by far less experienced staff.<\/p>\n
Last year, South San ISD laid off nearly 40 teaching personnel. At the time, Superintendent Hinojosa told KSAT the move was necessary to bring in better-qualified personnel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order for kids to achieve, they have to have quality teachers in front of them,\u201d Hinojosa said. \u201cWhen teachers are not performing, then it\u2019s our job to go find quality personnel to play a big difference [for] our kids.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n
Yet, the district recently entered a five-year partnership with Teach for America, which places recent college graduates \u2014 often uncertified \u2014 into classrooms of inner-city schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe teachers that Teach for America sends are not certified teachers, so they contradicted themselves within months of those statements,\u201d Garcia said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
South San ISD is one of seven districts statewide now under TEA control, with four more takeovers planned this year. In those four districts, more than 80% of students are low-income, and the majority are Black or Latino.<\/p>\n
Garcia warns that these districts should expect a culture of fear and a mass exodus of veteran educators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just paperwork, micromanagement and threats,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, as public school morale craters, more than 87,000 students have already signed up for Texas\u2019 new voucher program.<\/p>\n
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