Texas Education Agency taking over Fort Worth ISD

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The Texas Education Agency will boot the democratically-elected board of the Fort Worth Independent School District and appoint a new slate of leaders to oversee its campuses, marking the second-largest takeover in state history, Commissioner Mike Morath announced Thursday morning. 

The decision to assume control of the North Texas district follows months of speculation about how the state would respond to one of the Fort Worth campuses not meeting academic accountability standards for five consecutive years. The district closed the campus, Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade, at the end of the 2023-24 school year, but Morath indicated in the spring that state law still required him to intervene. 

Dallas’ local news station WFAA first reported news about the takeover Wednesday evening. 

In a letter sent to the district Thursday, Morath said that through “action and inaction,” the current school board has “failed the students of Fort Worth ISD.” The commissioner pointed to data showing that only 34% of students across all grades and subjects are performing at grade level on Texas’ standardized exams and that 20 campuses have been considered “academically unacceptable for multiple years in a row.” 

“The inability of the district to implement effective changes to improve the performance of students in the district or at the campus necessitates the interventions announced by this letter,” Morath wrote. “Furthermore, the interventions are in the public interest as the failure of governance is demonstrated by the continual academic deficiencies at the campus and across the district.”

Outside of the one campus that triggered the takeover, the district’s roughly 135 schools overall have earned a C rating in Texas’ A-F accountability system the last two years. The education agency considers that an “acceptable performance,” meaning the district serves many students well but needs to provide additional support to many others. 

Still, the commissioner said he plans to appoint a new school board, referred to as a board of managers, that will “consist of Fort Worth community members who are committed to governing effectively to support positive change for the students of the district.” The elected board will technically remain in their positions for the duration of the takeover, but they will have no power to make official decisions.

Morath will appoint a new superintendent, though he said the district’s current leader, Karen Molinar, will be considered for the position. The agency will also name a conservator responsible for ensuring “the district supports its low-performing campuses and implements the district’s turnaround plans.” The letter did not state exactly when Morath plans to finalize those decisions. The district will have an opportunity to appeal the decision early next week.

In response to the agency’s takeover announcement, the Fort Worth school district’s board of trustees said in a statement that it is “disappointed by the decision and hopes the matter will be reconsidered.” 

“Over the past year, our Board and Administration have worked tirelessly to strengthen instruction and accelerate student outcomes,” said Board President Roxanne Martinez. “Our elected Board is in the best position to drive the sustainable improvements the Commissioner seeks, with measurable progress already underway.”

Molinar, the superintendent, in a press conference Thursday noted some of the initiatives her administration has taken on, including overhauling seven of its most under-resourced campuses to attract more effective educators. 

“That should have been done years ago,” said Molinar, who was appointed to her role earlier this year. 

Molinar said the district will continue getting “results for our students,” adding that she has spoken with campus principals and communicated with staff and parents to reiterate that message. 

State takeovers of districts can only be initiated if one of their schools receives a failing grade from the TEA for five consecutive years. They allow the replacement of elected school board members with state appointees. The state can also direct districts to close a school rather than replace their school boards. 

About 15 miles from Fort Worth ISD, the Lake Worth school district could be next in line for a takeover. Morath visited Lake Worth earlier this week, just two months after he toured Fort Worth ISD schools as he weighed how to intervene.

Three other school districts around the state also reached the threshold of five consecutive failing ratings this year. The Beaumont, Connally and Wichita school districts are at risk of increased state oversight after a court ruling ended a two-year pause on the ratings. 

Fort Worth ISD is a majority-Hispanic district with more than 70,000 students, and around 75% of students are at risk of dropping out. Nearly 40% of students are enrolled in bilingual and English language learning programs. Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade, the campus that triggered the takeover, drew in refugee and immigrant newcomers.

In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office praised the education agency’s decision to overhaul the Fort Worth district.

“Our children deserve the best education possible, which requires a strong accountability system,” said Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris. “Together, we can build a stronger future for every child in Fort Worth ISD and across the state.”

Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who announced her bid for governor last week, called the takeover a “crisis of Greg Abbott’s own making.” The Austin Democrat said Fort Worth ISD has been underfunded by the state, which has starved public education of “needed resources.”

Texas has increasingly relied on state interventions as a way to shape learning in public schools. The Fort Worth ISD takeover is the 11th in Texas since 2000. The largest is occurring at the Houston Independent School District, which has more than 183,000 students. That takeover began in 2023 and was recently extended through 2027.

Since the takeover, Houston ISD has seen significant student improvement on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test, and progress in the district’s A-F accountability ratings. Houston ISD students in 3-12 grades have improved in each STAAR subject in the two school years since the intervention started. High schoolers surpassed statewide averages and saw the largest gains in Algebra 1 and biology. No Houston school district campuses received an F in the most recent accountability ratings.

The district’s administration has also drawn sharp criticism from many district teachers and parents who worry about the schools’ strict curriculum and emphasis on test scores. Teachers have expressed frustration about the district’s pay-for-performance model and the lack of full books in curricula. Nearly all of its campuses are using lesson plans designed by the district that include timed slideshows and scripts for teachers. 

Under the leadership of state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles, the district has seen extraordinary staff turnover and plummeting student enrollment. And it has terminated or reassigned hundreds of employees. 

Houston ISD elected trustee Savant Moore, who does not have any decision-making power, encouraged Morath to form relationships with the faculty and students in Fort Worth.  

“Commissioner Morath has an opportunity to work with communities, not over them,” he said. “Restoring trust begins with collaboration, transparency, and respect for the parents, teachers, and students directly affected.”

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