Fort Worth ISD warned of possible state takeover
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Fort Worth ISD will have to make aggressive and immediate improvements after a district school repeatedly received failing scores in the state's accountability ratings, the Texas education commissioner warned district leaders this week.
Why it matters: The school shut down in 2023, merging with a middle school, but Fort Worth ISD will have to successfully appeal the most recent rating to avoid being taken over by the Texas Education Agency.
Catch up quick: The TEA released preliminary 2023 ratings last month, delayed by a lawsuit filed by more than 120 school districts, including Fort Worth ISD.
- The district received an overall D rating, and 77 of its 138 campuses received a D or F, considered failing by the state.
- The sixth grade Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Middle School, previously known as the Glencrest sixth grade campus, did not meet state standards for five consecutive years, per the TEA.
The latest: TEA commissioner Mike Morath told district officials this week that he will look closely at district operations and leadership in the coming months.
- "It is critical that district leadership take aggressive action to improve the academic lives of students in Fort Worth ISD," Morath wrote in a letter.
- The district tells Axios it plans to appeal the preliminary rating. The ratings will be finalized in August.
What they're doing: The district tells Axios in a statement that it has restructured its literacy and math curriculum and has a new strategic plan that includes academic performance, family engagement, employee retention and operational efficiency.
- The district also has a new superintendent.
The fine print: State law requires the TEA to take over a district if any of its campuses get an unacceptable rating for five consecutive years.
- Takeovers typically replace the elected board of trustees and superintendent with a state-appointed board of managers and can affect students and staff if schools are closed or turned into charters.
- The TEA decides when to return control to elected trustees.
Between the lines: It's rare for the state to take control of a school district.
- From 1993 to 2023, the state took over a school district 15 times, per the Houston Chronicle.
Zoom out: Houston ISD has been under state control since 2023 and could stay under state control until at least 2027, per the Texas Standard.
- The state also took over South San Antonio ISD in February, citing years of governance failures and financial mismanagement.
What's next: The TEA's 2024 ratings are delayed by a different lawsuit and haven't been released.