Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath wants the least disruptive decision possible as he considers a potential takeover of Fort Worth schools, he explained to state lawmakers Wednesday.
The fate of the roughly 70,000-student district is in the balance after the persistent failing of a now-closed campus.
Morath told the Texas Senate education committee during its Aug. 6 hearing in Austin that he hasn’t made a decision on whether or not to strip FWISD’s elected trustees of their power and appoint a new board, similar to what happened in Houston.
“It’s very painful when that is the true choice,” Morath said. “But if that is the situation, if it does the best for the kids, then I think anybody in my position would be a coward to do anything else.”
Five years of failing grades at the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade triggered a Texas law requiring the state’s top education official to either close the campus or appoint a board of managers to govern the entire district.
However, trustees closed the campus last year.
In a statement, Fort Worth ISD spokesperson Jessica Becerra said the district was aware of the discussion during the committee hearing. Morath has met with district leaders and plans to visit schools in September as part of his decision-making process, Becerra said.
“We appreciate the commissioner’s commitment to a thoughtful and student-centered approach, and we will continue to work collaboratively with him and his team,” Becerra said.
State Sen. Phil King, a Weatherford Republican and Eastern Hills High School graduate, told Morath that a takeover appears needed and that he’d support the commissioner’s decision.
“Some of the stats just really want to make you weep when you realize where some of those kids are at,” King said. “They’re at an age that they may never recover from that because they’re going to be out of the system before they can catch up.”
Fort Worth ISD has lagged behind other large, urban school systems in Texas since 2015. In 2025, Fort Worth students made gains on the reading portion of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.
“I’ve got more Fort Worth ISD than any senator, and I don’t know what the right decision is, but if I had to bet today, it’s replacing the board,” King said.
Morath, a former Dallas school trustee who was appointed Texas’ education commissioner in 2016, conceded he faces difficult options.
“I don’t know what the right decision is either,” Morath told the senator. “We’re going through a pretty intentional process to figure out what the best course of action is to support the students in Fort Worth.”
Meanwhile, Fort Worth ISD officials say they remain focused on serving students, Becerra said. As classes start Aug. 12, district educators are doubling down on improving literacy and math skills by rolling out new teaching roles and strategies.
New academic accountability grades are expected Aug. 15, which will show whether FWISD made progress over the past year following leadership changes.
“Our leadership team is actively implementing bold strategies to improve student outcomes, and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the progress we are making,” Becerra said.
Morath said he expects to make a decision this fall.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
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 Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
