Committee recommends ‘no action’ on commissioner’s MATTER Academy proposal after hours of testimony

The Committee of the Full Board of the Texas State Board of Education voted Wednesday to recommend the state board "review and take no action" on the commissioner’s Generation 3 high-performing entity open-enrollment charter application from MATTER Academy to open two campuses in the Greater San Antonio area for the 2026–27 school year.

The committee’s vote followed more than two hours of public testimony from parents, educators, community groups and MATTER representatives and a presentation from Texas Education Agency staff. Supporters described MATTER as a proven network that emphasizes career-readiness and project-based learning; opponents raised concerns about special education enrollment, transparency of the expedited high-performing-entity process, and related-party real-estate and management arrangements.

Why it matters: The commissioner may recommend charter approvals under Texas Education Code §12.101 (the high-performing entity pathway), but the State Board of Education (SBOE) has statutory authority to accept or veto those recommendations. Committee action to "take no action" in this context forwarded a recommendation to the full SBOE; under the statute the board must act within the statutorily defined window or the commissioner’s approval can stand. A committee recommendation to "take no action" is the committee’s way of forwarding the item to the full board with that recommendation for Friday’s meeting.

Committee and public debate: Public testimony included parents and educators who said MATTER would provide a nearby option for families on the south and east sides of San Antonio where high-performing seats are scarce. Crystal Rios, director of engagement…