Camille Rodriguez, the Fort Worth ISD school board’s new president, has been thinking a lot about student outcomes.
State standardized test results for third- to eighth-grade students won’t be out until the fall, and she’s not sure of how the district will shake out. Regardless of what the outcomes may be, Rodriguez plans to keep the school board focused on improving student achievement.
Rodriguez, a doctor of podiatric medicine, is taking the reins of leading the school board from trustee Tobi Jackson, who was president for the past two years. The change in leadership, though, does not mean new priorities. Rodriguez plans to double down on trustees’ priorities of boosting student achievement, balancing the budget and delivering on the voter-approved $1.2 billion bond from 2021.
“We all just want to make sure that our children get the best education possible, and that’s what we’re all focused on,” Rodriguez told the Fort Worth Report.
The school board picked its new officers, who are selected annually, in late June. Alongside Rodriguez, trustees also appointed:
- Trustee Anne Darr as first vice president
- Trustee Roxanne Martinez as second vice president
- Trustee Anael Luebanos as secretary
Jackson expects Rodriguez to be a president who leads with vision, energy and full heart for children. The entire slate of board leaders has the right mix of experiences, Jackson said.
“We have a really good balance of people who will lead and do a great job,” Jackson said.
‘We’re going to do it’
Student outcomes in Fort Worth ISD have started to improve, but the board is not happy with the current state of achievement, Rodriguez said. While the board does not run the daily operations of the district, Rodriguez noted that trustees have a significant say in positioning students for success.
For example, Rodriguez pointed to the school board’s approval of an expansion of a new literacy curriculum that is based on the science of how children learn reading.
The board also has backed Superintendent Angélica Ramsey’s plan to give additional dollars to the campuses with the highest need so principals can decide what is best to help their students.
“We’re not going to bury our heads in the sand. If there are things that we need to address, we’re going to do it,” Rodriguez said.
Balancing the budget
Rodriguez is confident Fort Worth ISD administrators will bring trustees a balanced budget for the 2024-25 school year.
In June, trustees approved an unbalanced budget. The general fund budget, which fuels the daily operations of Fort Worth ISD, called for more than $846.8 million in spending despite a projected $801.5 million in revenue. The gap created a $45 million deficit.
Rodriguez and other officials are hopefulthe Texas Legislature will provide additional funding during a future special session.
Since 2022, the district’s chief financial officer has emphasized the transition to a balanced budget could take two years.
“I believe her,” Rodriguez said.
Delivering bond on time, on budget
The new board president is concerned about how inflation may impact Fort Worth ISD’s ability to deliver on its promises in its $1.2 billion bond program from 2021. The bond is funding the construction of several new schools and renovations for existing campuses.
Inflation has driven up the cost of supplies, materials and labor for construction projects. However, administrators previously told the Report the work that went into planning the bond should be able to take on any increased costs.
Still, Rodriguez expects delivering on the bond’s promises to voters may be more difficult than expected.
“We’ll see what those challenges are. We still want to finish on time and on budget,” she said. “Hopefully the economy gets better, and then our bond will be a little easier to complete.”
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
