Teachers and principals at seven persistently failing Fort Worth schools must reapply for their jobs for next school year if trustees approve a turnaround plan next week.
That’s because FWISD students deserve to have the best teachers in front of them, Superintendent Karen Molinar said Wednesday.
As a potential state takeover looms, Molinar wants to shift three middle schools and four elementaries to a Texas-approved turnaround model. On top of that, FWISD administrators want to use the state’s new reading materials that incorporate Bible stories into lessons.
Both moves come with extra money from the state if trustees adopt the plan at their Sept. 23 meeting.
The affected schools are:
All seven received D’s and F’s since 2023 in the state’s academic accountability ratings, which are based on how well students perform on STAAR tests.
Students cannot wait any longer to see improvements, Molinar said.
“They’re already behind,” she said. “It’s my responsibility to put the best teachers in front of them each day.”
Expectations for FWISD school turnaround plans
Although the rollout is a year away, Molinar wants to spend this year recruiting and retaining the best teachers and principals for each school.
Those at the selected campuses will have higher salaries. Students will have proven teachers who know how to move the needle, she said.
The Texas Education Agency based the turnaround model on an effort from Dallas schools called the Accelerating Campus Excellence program. The initiative started under Superintendent Mike Miles, now the state-appointed leader of Houston schools, and improved student performance.
Dallas ISD scaled back the costly ACE program. Through the program, highly effective teachers received salary stipends of up to $12,000.
Teachers in core subjects, such as reading and math, must have at least two years of experience to work at the designated schools. At least half of the educators at the schools must be considered among the state’s most effective teachers, identified through their students’ performances on STAAR.
Each school also will have at least one counselor per 300 students and licensed mental health professionals.
The requirement that teachers and principals reapply is consistent with how FWISD has handled past campus turnaround efforts, Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association of Texas, told the Fort Worth Report.
“This is not unusual,” he said, referring to the district’s Leadership Academy Network schools, which also are based partly on Dallas’ ACE model.
Teachers will either remain on campus or be transferred elsewhere in the district, Poole said. No one loses their job, he said.
To him, one of the more promising elements of the model is enticing the state’s best teachers to the most struggling schools with additional pay to help the children who need them.
“That’s going to be an improvement for these schools,” Poole said.
Proposed reading lessons drew criticism for religious stories
Adopting Bluebonnet Learning’s reading lessons for kindergarten through fifth grade will strengthen the district’s literacy focus, Molinar said.
However, the lessons drew criticism for their inclusion of biblical stories when the State Board of Education approved them.
A FWISD document notes that roughly 2% of lessons include biblical references. Teachers are directed to treat them similarly to any other literature, such as historical speeches and fictional or nonfictional texts, according to the district document.
Molinar said she did not want to wait until the spring for trustees to approve and then roll out the new materials. Instead, teachers will have time this school year for training and familiarizing themselves with the lessons before summer break, she said.
Bluebonnet Learning will replace current reading lessons from Amplify. The superintendent described the new lessons as an enhanced version of what students are learning that features stronger parents resources.
Molinar said her moves are for students — regardless of a takeover, a state-appointed board of managers or even her removal.
“Whether I’m here or someone else takes my place for next school year, I know I’m doing everything I can today to make sure students are set up to have the best people in front of them,” she said.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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