The Fort Worth Independent School District’s superintendent is planning to take bold, urgent action to revitalize six low-performing schools.
The plan from the Texas Education Agency will provide additional staffing and programming. But the teachers and administrators at those schools will have to reapply for their jobs.
Fort Worth ISD Resource Campuses
What we know:
The changes are being made to prevent the state from taking over the district after another year of performance challenges.
They affect Clifford Davis, West Handley, and Western Hills elementary and primary schools, as well as Morningside, Wedgwood, and William James middle schools.
Those schools will adopt the Resource Campus Model proposed by the TEA.
They will receive additional local and state funding for teaching incentives and high-quality learning material, but all existing teachers, principals, and assistant principals will need to reapply for their jobs before next year.
Those who qualify to remain in their positions will be eligible for extra compensation.
The educators who do not qualify may be moved to other campuses but will not lose their jobs as a result of the initiative.
What they’re saying:
“We are doing it now so we have a year to plan,” said Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Dr. Karen Molinar. “This is student focused for their students. We know they have been sitting on a campus that has not shown the progress that it needs and our kids deserve. The campus definitely does not lose the community feel. We’re going to increase parent partnerships. I like to call it parent partnership, just not engagement. And then we’re also looking at how can we provide more resources.”
The superintendent said all of the schools on the list have received unacceptable ratings for multiple years, and that means the students there are not only behind but sitting at a campus that has not shown any progress.
“It’s important we intervene as soon as we can,” she said.
Steven Poole, who represents employees in Fort Worth ISD said how the superintendent articulates her vision for the district will be important.
“No one likes change, especially if you’ve been at the school for a while,” he said. “Give it some time. I think you will see results.”
Neither wants what has been happening in Houston to happen in Fort Worth.
“You see the turmoil that is occuring in Houston. They’ve had some short-term student success, but is it really set up for long-term success? A multi-billion dollar bond election failed in Houston, and that was a referendum on the state takeover,” Poole said.
He thinks Superintendent Molinar’s plan will be more successful.
What’s next:
Fort Worth ISD will hold a briefing about the plans on Tuesday.
School board trustees will also consider adopting the Bluebonnet Reading Language Arts curriculum, which was developed with teachers across Texas and reviewed by hundreds of FWISD teachers last spring.
If approved, it will be rolled out as early as this school year in the spring.