When Superintendent Angélica Ramsey said she was making cuts to the district’s administration, she followed through with consolidating administration into three departments versus the many divisions that existed before.
The new administrative organization chart for Fort Worth ISD cuts departments and positions to save around $3 million. This is only the beginning of the cuts, Ramsey said.
Fort Worth ISD is making cuts in an effort to make up for declining enrollment and a deficit.
Previously, the district was heavy on chiefs in many departments. Now, the district flows from the superintendent to two deputy superintendents overseeing administrative services and operations. Karen Molinar will head administrative services and Kellie Spencer will oversee operations.
The biggest changes to the new organizational structure is aligning leadership under these three divisions, Ramsey said. The other branch is Learning and Leading, which falls under the superintendent. Her hope is that bringing together academics and school leadership will promote more support and collaboration.
Under the learning and leading department, four associate superintendents will oversee four different networks. Those networks represent the division of schools based on geographic area, Ramsey said. Within each network, the associate superintendent is responsible for the elementary, middle and high schools in the area.
The networks also have responsibilities for different academic areas, such as bilingual education or early learning, Ramsey said.
“The service networks provide a crucial role in providing support, resources and coordination of services to foster student success,” Ramsey said.
In deciding what to cut, Ramsey said she met with people across the district and had an independent audit completed. All of it came together to form the new chart.
One notable change is the district’s racial equity department. Previously, there was a chief of equity and excellence position to oversee a separate department. Ramsey said it’s more spread out now.
“The district remains committed to the work of eliminating opportunity gaps and recognizes the importance of creating an inclusive and fair educational environment,” she said. “Rather than treating it as a separate entity, the goal is to meet the needs of every child by understanding where they are and how best to support them.”
With the networks in place, the goal is for each one to determine unique needs of campuses and use data to see what resources are needed where, Ramsey said.
Later in the summer, the district plans to share more with the school board and public on its specific plans, she said.
Ramsey has emphasized that student achievement is the reason for the restructure. With it now in place, Ramsey said leadership has a clearer focus and can better align resources.
Ramsey also hopes less tiers will allow for closer collaboration between the central office and schools to enable more effective communication.
“We streamlined five branches into one that reports directly to me,” she said. “The four service areas each have a professional learning network to provide support to our schools. By working directly with the four associate superintendents who supervise schools and academics, the new structure ensures a direct connection to the core mission of improving student outcomes, our No. 1 priority.”
Kristen Barton is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at kristen.barton@fortworthreport.org.
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