Less than a week before the first day of school in Fort Worth ISD, state-appointed district leaders addressed questions from the public about what the first full school year under state intervention will look like for students, teachers and families during a town hall hosted by State Rep. Nicole Collier.
Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat, outlined the ins and outs of what a state takeover entails alongside Superintendent Peter Licata and other Fort Worth ISD leaders on Tuesday night. The town hall, which took place at a Goodwill North Central Texas facility in southeast Fort Worth, included an overview of what leads to state takeovers, such as Fort Worth ISD’s struggling academic performance, and what must happen before local control can be restored.
Licata and a nine-person Board of Managers are temporarily replacing previous district leadership for at least two years with the goal of turning around student achievement. Students return to class on Monday, marking the start of the first full school year with the state takeover in place.
During the town hall, Collier also asked district leaders questions from index cards filled out by attendees who sought answers on topics such as uncertified teachers, classroom rules and new instructional models. District officials answered questions for about an hour and were frequently met with heckles by community members.
“My goal is to work myself out of this job as fast as possible,” Board of Managers President Pete Geren told attendees. “We’ll be measured by student outcomes. That’s what our goals are going to be all about: student outcomes.”
When asked about the district’s new Elevate model, an instructional model being implemented at 19 struggling campuses, Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Schools Daniel Soliz described it as a “instructional playbook” for principals. These schools will receive additional resources and support with an extended school year schedule and higher teacher pay.
“(It’s) an instructional model that helps principals run the instructional day minute-by-minute with a specific emphasis on reading and math instruction,” he said. “They are required to follow the instructional playbook that the principals have been trained on in order to close those achievement gaps and get our… student achievement scores up to par and close those math and reading deficiencies.”
When asked how many Fort Worth ISD teachers are uncertified this school year, Licata estimated around 350, noting that many of them are career and technical education teachers joining the district from the workforce.
“We monitor them closely… We want every teacher certified, and we’re utilizing every opportunity to get them certified as soon as possible,” he said.
He also addressed a question about how teachers can decorate classrooms, noting that motivational posters are allowed but refrigerators and microwaves, for example, are not due to the high electric bills that could add up quickly. Another attendee asked whether teachers would be allowed to have beverages like coffee or water during instruction time after hearing that they wouldn’t be, which Licata clarified would be allowed.
Collier wrapped up the town hall by presenting ideas for legislation that would create additional guardrails around state takeovers, such as returning the district to local control if the appointed Board of Managers fails to reach state standards in two years. She also suggested creating a “Continuity and Transition Board” for elected school board members to serve on during the duration of a takeover so they’re involved with the process.
“My problem is that: what do you do with the current board? Why do you just toss them aside?… We need to keep them engaged and a part of the process throughout the whole time,” Collier said. “When it’s time to return governance to the trustees, it’s just a smoother transition, and they can also help guide some of the decisions that are being made.”
Editor’s note: Pete Geren is the president and chief executive officer of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, which is a funder of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. The Star-Telegram retains independence in all coverage decisions.
Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
Lina Ruiz
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