Houston Independent School District enrolls nearly 200,000 students, and it's the largest school district in Texas, and 8th largest in the U.S.

Earlier this month, the Texas Education Agency announced the state was taking over the district citing poor performance.  The state is dismissing the superintendent and the elected school board and replacing them with state appointees. Critics say this is another example of predominantly white, Republican lawmakers taking control over a diverse, and largely democratic city's functions.

We speak with Josephine Lee, reporter for the Texas Observer, who says that the takeover is a trojan horse for Texas Republicans efforts towards privatizing education, and will only increase inequities.