Trent Dowd, a former principal, was named acting superintendent of Lake Worth ISD on Monday as the district awaits new leaders under a state takeover.
Trustees named Dowd to the temporary role as Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath moves to appoint a new superintendent and replace the district’s locally elected board with a state-appointed board of managers.
“Whether I’m in this seat for a week or whether I’m in this seat for months, my goal is to make sure that we stay focused on taking care of students and providing high quality instruction,” Dowd said.
Dowd has more than two decades of education experience. He most recently served as assistant superintendent of teaching and learning after years as the district’s chief financial officer. He steps into the role vacated by Mark Ramirez whose resignation was accepted March 9.
Dowd addressed the board and community members after an hourlong closed session, emphasizing instructional continuity as the district’s top priority with STAAR testing just days away.
Dowd told the Fort Worth Report that his decision to serve in the role, however long it lasts, is rooted in preserving the work Ramirez began.
“He brought in a new, fresh vision and a new, fresh enthusiasm for the students of Lake Worth,” Dowd said. “He may have left us, but I saw it as an opportunity to continue the work that he was doing and honor the work that he’s done.”
Morath ordered the state intervention into Lake Worth schools in December after the Marilyn Miller Language Academy received five consecutive failing academic accountability ratings. The education commissioner appointed a new superintendent and managers for Fort Worth ISD for that district’s state takeover on March 24.
Dowd said he has no plans to introduce new priorities and will remain focused on the instructional framework already in place, including the teaching strategies and lesson structures Ramirez put in place.
“We’ve got 3,177 students. That’s how many students we have in our district on the snapshot day, and that’s how many students are counting on us,” Dowd said. “I want to be a part of serving all, all 3,177 of these students.”
Board President Tammy Thomas said trustees appointed Dowd to ensure stability during the transition and expressed confidence in his leadership.
“Dowd has shown tremendous leadership the last few years,” Thomas said. “If I were able to choose who would lead us during this remainder of our time, it would be him.”
Morath is expected to announce the new leadership later this spring. The managers will assume the duties of the trustees, who will remain in office but lack any governing authority in the district.
A second training for Lake Worth ISD’s board of managers applicants is scheduled for Saturday, March 28. Only 14 people applied for a seat on the state-appointed board, compared to the nearly 300 who applied for Fort Worth ISD.
Dowd said the state’s impending moves won’t change the district’s focus.
“Even in times of uncertainty, the thing that we can do is continue to focus on kids.”
Nicole Williams Quezada is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.williams@fortworthreport.org
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