Fort Worth school leaders met privately in Austin with state officials a week after Texas took control of the 67,500-student district.
Education Commissioner Mike Morath summoned FWISD trustees to the Texas Education Agency headquarters Thursday for an informal review of the upcoming board of managers, conservator and superintendent appointments. This was the first time trustees and other district officials met with Morath since the takeover started.
Fort Worth ISD trustees Roxanne Martinez, Tobi Jackson, Anne Darr and Wallace Bridges attended the meeting.
As trustees left the building, Martinez told reporters district leaders appreciated meeting with Morath to discuss the state of FWISD.
“We highlighted that great things are happening at Fort Worth ISD, that measurable progress has been made,” said Martinez, the board president.
Neither Morath or TEA spokespeople issued a statement following the more than hourlong meeting.
Fort Worth school leaders have made positive decisions that are reaping results, but it’s not happening in all classrooms across the district, Morath previously said during an Oct. 23 news conference.
“But we’ve got to move faster,” Morath said. “A child only has one shot at first grade.”
The state’s top education official ordered the takeover after the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade failed five years in a row under the accountability ratings that are largely based on STAAR results. District leaders and trustees said they preemptively closed the school to meet state requirements.
STAAR, or the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, will be phased out in 2027. State Rep. Brad Buckley, a Salado Republican who chairs the House Public Education Committee, previously told the Fort Worth Report that schools will continue to be judged by STAAR until the transition.
Nothing changes in daily FWISD operations. Superintendent Karen Molinar and the nine elected trustees are in charge for now.
However, Morath expects to appoint a conservator soon to monitor the transition from locally elected trustees to state-appointed board of managers who will hold elected trustees’ power. Trustees will only hold the office.
The managers will be selected from applicants who are Fort Worth ISD community members. Applications are due Nov. 21.
Molinar is a candidate for superintendent, but Morath is conducting a nationwide search for the district’s next leader. Fort Worth leaders, including Mayor Mattie Parker, want Molinar to remain superintendent and use her nearly 30 years of experience working in the district to turn it around.
Morath said he expects to name the new board and superintendent in the spring. District officials can appeal the takeover.
Trustees meet Nov. 4 to discuss the takeover.
Dave Montgomery is an Austin correspondent for the Fort Worth Report.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
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