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The Fort Worth Independent School District Administration building located at 7060 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth.
ctorres@star-telegram.com
Parents and community members in the Fort Worth Independent School District voiced skepticisms and concerns about the pending takeover of the district to a state education official during a community meeting Thursday night.
The Texas Education Agency hosted its third meeting in recent weeks to provide information and answer questions regarding state intervention in Fort Worth ISD, which was triggered by five consecutive years of poor academic performance at a now-closed campus.
More than 20 speakers grilled Steve Lecholop, TEA’s deputy commissioner of governance, with questions and critiques about how Fort Worth ISD’s takeover would compare to the state’s takeover of Houston ISD, in addition to decision-making processes, curriculum choices and teacher autonomy. The informal meeting at Fort Worth ISD’s administration building was well attended with a packed audience in the school board’s meeting room.
Edriana Cofer, an English I teacher at Dunbar High School, told Lecholop that she currently has no autonomy in how she’s able to teach lessons to students through the current district curriculum. She asked if that framework will continue under the takeover. She also noted how her curriculum doesn’t include studies of books, just excerpts from them.
Other speakers, including the district’s 2022-23 Teacher of the Year Ale Checka, also spoke on the practice of teachers being discouraged from using full book texts in their classes.
“Will the curriculum be made by district personnel? Will it be curriculum put together by TEA?” Cofer asked. “My biggest fear is increased lack of autonomy because I don’t have that.”
Lecholop’s response to Cofer, in addition to most speakers, was reiterating how the appointed superintendent and board of managers would be in charge of making decisions for the district regarding curriculum and other matters.
Some speakers referenced news coverage by Texas Monthly and the Houston Chronicle reporting that students were being pushed into less rigorous math and science classes in Houston ISD, thus inflating STAAR test scores, since its state takeover.
“I know that you have not been open to, maybe, us explaining our skepticism with the numbers, but if you work in public education… that kind of data can be so easily manipulated,” Checka said. “And somebody like me who consistently puts in not just a 90% passing rate, but 100% passing rate in a different venue, I could tell you how another campus can do that by just changing which students take which classes without a single child ever being a stronger reader and writer.”
Lecholop outlined statistics of Houston ISD’s academic growth throughout the meeting. There were 55 F-rated campuses in the district in 2023 at the beginning of state intervention. This year, there are no F-rated campuses in the district.
“For the first time in generations in Houston ISD, kids are learning. Poor kids are learning,” Lecholop said. “If you look at other assessments given by Houston ISD, the same data is reflected. NWEA math is a really good example of this.”
Jeremiah Taylor, a student at Young Men’s Leadership Academy, was one of only two speakers who spoke with optimistic about the takeover, noting how change is needed in Fort Worth ISD while referencing the academic improvement seen in Houston ISD. The other speaker thanked Lecholop for answering questions from the community.
Taylor, who also attended last week’s TEA community meeting, said he didn’t appreciate how others were “coming at” Lecholop with their comments while he’s doing his job.
“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting something different. And five years and still failing is the best description for that word. So I hope the new board of managers can stay in their lane and help our kids succeed,” Taylor said.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath notified Fort Worth ISD in October of his decision to take over the district by replacing the elected school board with a state-appointed board of managers and conducting a nationwide search for a potential new superintendent. Current Superintendent Karen Molinar will be considered as a candidate. District officials have eight days left to appeal Morath’s decision; the school board will be discussing responses to the takeover during its next regular meeting on Tuesday.
Morath has already appointed a state conservator to oversee the takeover transition and monitor turnaround plans for low performing schools. The conservator, Christopher Ruszkowski, began the job immediately after his appointment one week ago.
Graham Brizendine, a Fort Worth ISD parent and graduate, asked Lecholop if TEA would commit to a requirement that appointees to the board of managers must live in the boundaries of Fort Worth ISD. Lecholop said state law doesn’t require those appointees to live in the district.
“We want to appoint a board that represents the Fort Worth community… the benefit of not being bound by the boundaries of the district is that if a great applicant applies, who happens to live on the wrong side of the street, they are not excluded from service on this board,” Lecholop said.
The state takeover was prompted by the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade campus receiving five failed accountability grades in a row from TEA. When this happens, state law requires the state education commissioner to either close the campus or replace the school board with an appointed board of managers. Fort Worth ISD closed the campus after the 2022-23 school year
Lecholop encouraged attendees to continue engaging with current district leaders as processes move forward. He said it would be likely for the current school board to stay in place for the foreseeable future if it chooses to appeal the takeover decision, which would start a 90-120 day process, he said.
“The appointment of the board of managers isn’t imminent. It has to wait until the legal process concludes. So over the next few months, what’s likely to happen is that the same board members will continue to govern the school district,” he said. “I would encourage everyone in this audience tonight, and anyone listening online, to show up at board meetings, raise your voice, make your voice heard in an appropriate manner. This will continue to happen once the board of managers is appointed.”
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Lina Ruiz
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