Fort Worth ISD will have new leadership after Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on March 24 appointed a new superintendent and nine-member board of managers, marking the next step in the state’s takeover of the city’s largest school district.
Peter B. Licata is the new superintendent of the nearly 68,000-student district.
The managers who will assume the governing authority previously held by locally elected trustees are:
- Bobby Ahdieh, chief operation officer of Texas A&M Fort Worth.
- Rosa Marie Berdeja, an immigration lawyer.
- Luis A. Galindo, a lawyer.
- Laurie George, Fort Worth ISD parent and former educator.
- Pete Geren, former U.S. congressman and CEO and president of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.
- Courtney Lewis, Fort Worth-area president of First Bank Texas.
- Frost Prioleau, executive chairman at Fort Worth-based Simpli.fi.
- Jay Stegall, business owner who has worked in restaurant, retail and consumer packaged goods.
- Tennessee Walker, Fort Worth ISD parent and lawyer.
FWISD’s elected trustees will continue holding office but without governing power.
The leadership shift comes nearly five months after Morath ordered the state intervention.
“Possessing a diverse range of experiences and expertise, the governance and leadership team appointed today is comprised of individuals with an aligned vision and collective belief that all students, when properly supported, can achieve at high levels,” Morath wrote in a statement. “I look forward to seeing this belief in action and their leadership of Fort Worth ISD’s next chapter.”
The takeover began Oct. 23 when Morath determined the district must undergo the drastic intervention after the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade received five consecutive failing grades under Texas’ academic accountability system.
Under Texas law, the commissioner must either close a persistently failing campus or replace a district’s elected trustees with a state-appointed board of managers. FWISD trustees had already closed the academy.
The intervention stems from broader concerns about student performance across the district, Morath said in October.
He pointed to persistent academic struggles in Fort Worth schools, including low reading and math proficiency rates and too many campuses receiving D or F ratings under Texas’ accountability system.
Texas Education Agency leaders previously told residents the takeover is intended to address what they described as systemic challenges affecting students across the district.
Community members have expressed mixed reactions to the takeover.
Moving forward, the managers will approve FWISD’s budgets, set district policy and oversee the superintendent.
The appointments follow months of uncertainty as parents, teachers and civic leaders debated how the state takeover should reshape the district’s leadership and priorities. Community members called for more transparency from Morath and state officials over how the appointments would be made and who would ultimately lead the district.
Departing Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar remained in charge during the transition period. She had been with the district for three decades.
Molinar applied for the role but said in March that she was no longer a candidate after the commisioner completed interviews.
More than 280 people applied to serve on the board of managers. A list obtained by the Fort Worth Report showed 180 of those who applied and attended mandatory training included parents, former trustees, business leaders and current or former school employees.
The managers selected by Morath will serve at least two years before the state begins considering whether to return governance authority to the trustees. State law allows the takeover to continue in two-year increments if the commissioner determines that a district hasn’t demonstrated sufficient academic improvement.
Last year, Morath extended his takeover of Houston schools. Texas launched its intervention in HISD in 2023.
In November, Morath appointed Christopher Ruszkowski, a former New Mexico secretary of education, to serve as Fort Worth ISD’s conservator. In that role, Ruszkowski monitors district operations and reports directly to the state as the transition unfolds.
The conservator remains in place during the takeover to oversee the district’s progress and ensure the state’s directives are followed.
Some parents and educators said they fear the change will bring instability and lead to teacher departures. Others, including State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, believe state intervention can provide the urgency and resources needed to improve classroom outcomes.
Local leaders urged Morath to preserve community voice in the district’s decision-making process.
Mayor Mattie Parker previously said the commissioner should ensure Fort Worth residents are involved as the takeover unfolds, emphasizing that the district’s challenges and history differ from those in other Texas school systems under state control.
Trustees elections will continue during the takeover as the community waits for when local control eventually returns.
This is a developing story.
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.orgor @matthewsgroi1.
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This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
