Houston, the eighth-largest school district in the United States, is set to be taken over by the state of Texas, according to a recent announcement. The Texas Education Agency will appoint new officials including a new superintendent.

The school district had sued to block the move initially but the state Supreme Court Justices ruled in favor of the Texas Education Agency.

The decision, made by Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, follows years of alleged misconduct by school trustees and chronically low academic scores at some of the district’s high schools. However, Democrats have criticized the move as being politically motivated and potentially harmful to the community.

State takeovers of school districts have happened in other places, but critics say those takeovers have not always improved outcomes.