The May 4 local elections could have big implications for the Fort Worth Independent School District. Three longtime members are not seeking another term. That leavesfour open seats and nine candidates vying for them.
» District 2:
Only one incumbent, Tobi Jackson, is seeking re-election. She’s the current school board president and represents District 2.
Jackson has served two terms on the board and is the executive director of Fort Worth SPARC, an education nonprofit. Her opponent is Chad McCarty, a business owner and the former principal of Eastern Hills High school.
Both of them have deep ties to Fort Worth and say one of their main goals is improving student achievement.
» District 3:
Longtime member Christine Moss has held this seat for nearly three decades. The district includes the historic and mostly African-American Stop Six neighborhood.
On the ballot for this seat are Cleveland Harris, a barber, and Quinton “Q” Phillips, an adjunct professor.
Harris has talked about equity and how the district hasn’t done a good job of that. Phillips sits on the district’s Race and Equity Committee and points to what the group has accomplished, such as creating a department of Equity and Excellence.
» District 5:
Carla Morton, a pediatric and developmental neuropsychologist is running against attorney Carin “CJ” Evans.
Morton touts her experience working with young people and data analysis -- she does cognitive testing with kids who have brain injuries. She says she’s learned that student behaviors won’t change until adult behavior does.
Evans is fluent in Spanish, a skill that could be helpful in Fort Worth ISD, where more than 60 percent of students are Latino, many of them in Spanish-speaking households.
» District 6:
There’s a three-way way contest for this seat. If no one person gets the majority of votes on May 4, a runoff will be scheduled in June.
Anne Darr is an education consultant with Region 11’s Education Service Center. Lisa Saucedo is a business growth and strategy analyst and Sandra Shelton is a consultant.
All three candidates have said they want student performance to improve, especially in reading and math.
LEARN MORE
Early voting ends April 30. Election Day is May 4. Check out our voter's guide. Here's voter information for the Fort Worth ISD school board races.
