Fort Worth school administrators would no longer need to live within the school district under a proposed policy aimed at bolstering recruitment.
School trustees preliminarily approved the change in a 6-2 vote during a July meeting. They are expected to finalize the code during their Aug. 26 meeting.
Trustees Camille Rodriguez and Michael Ryan dissented; trustee Wallace Bridges abstained.
Trustee Anne Darr saw the change as leveling the playing field for Fort Worth ISD. Other districts in Texas, including Dallas and most in Tarrant County, do not require senior administrators to live within the school system as FWISD does.
In general, most Texas districts require superintendents to reside in the district they lead.
What is the policy?
Trustees gave their first approval to the following proposal:
The Superintendent shall, as a condition of employment, either reside within the District or agree to and establish residency within the District within 90 days of the effective date of employment. The Superintendent must continue to reside within the boundaries of the District while employed in this position.
The current residency requirement policy states:
Each person employed in the position of assistant superintendent, chief information officer, associate superintendent, division chief, deputy superintendent, or Superintendent shall, as a condition of employment, either reside within the District or agree to and establish residency within the District within 12 months of the effective date of employment. Employees in these positions must continue to reside within the boundaries of the District while an employee in one of these positions.
The residency requirement for cabinet-level leaders came with too high a cost for potential employees and put Fort Worth ISD at a disadvantage, Darr said.
“The higher up you advance in administration, the less job security you have,” she said during the meeting.
Since 2020, the average home price in Fort Worth has increased by more than 50%.
During the first half of the year, the average home price in Fort Worth was $378,918, according to the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors. In June 2020, the median price was $245,750.
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.72% as of July 31.
Who is in the cabinet?
Fort Worth ISD’s top leaders are called the cabinet, which features 10 positions. They are:
- Assistant general counsel
- Superintendent
- Special assistant to the superintendent
- Deputy superintendent curriculum and instruction
- Chief of schools
- Chief of communications & community partnerships
- Deputy superintendent district operations
- Chief technology officer
- Chief talent officer
- Chief financial officer
Fort Worth ISD does not pay for employees’ moves, trustees said.
Rodriguez feared the amended policy would create a double standard.
“We’re asking the community to send their kids to Fort Worth ISD,” she said. “Yet our own high-paid cabinet members will not send their own kids to Fort Worth ISD? I have an issue with that.”
Bridges voted against previous attempts to change the residency requirement. However, Darr’s argument was reasonable because Fort Worth ISD needs top talent, he said.
Trustee Quinton Phillips said the longstanding policy likely came about because previous district leaders wanted to ensure top rank-and-file administrators were invested in Fort Worth’s schools and part of the community.
But top candidates might opt out of a Fort Worth ISD job because of the policy, Phillips said.
Phillips used the example of Fort Worth ISD hiring a highly qualified person from neighboring Crowley ISD. That person could live just a couple of miles outside Fort Worth ISD yet would have to incur the cost of moving their family to work for the district, he said.
“I really want the best people to be able to work here,” he said.
Rodriguez zeroed in on superintendent residency. She amended the proposed policy change to mandate Fort Worth ISD superintendents live in the district within 90 days from their effective date of employment.
Superintendent Karen Molinar lives within Fort Worth ISD boundaries.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
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