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The Texas Education Agency on Thursday appointed a conservator for the Fort Worth Independent School District and said it will go ahead with appointing a Board of Managers in the state's takeover of the district. This comes after last week's informal review and a special meeting on Tuesday during which the Board of Trustees decided not to take any action regarding the state's takeover of the district, but voted unanimously not to change Superintendent Karen Molinar's contract, which goes until June 2028. The appointed conservator, Christopher Ruszkowski, will oversee and support Fort Worth ISD's improvement efforts and report on the district's progress, effective immediately. TEA will continue with the process of taking applications from interested candidates for the Board of Managers and the superintendent search. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath previously told CBS News Texas that he has begun a nationwide search for a new superintendent. Molinar said she intends to apply for the superintendent position. "The focus remains on meeting the needs of our students in FWISD," Molinar said in a statement. "Our employees are committed to providing high quality, on-level instruction each day in every classroom across our district. We understand there may be questions, and right now this is the information we have. As TEA provides further guidance, I will share it promptly with our community." TEA takeover This comes in the aftermath of the Texas Education Agency announcing a takeover of the district last month. The district was eligible for state intervention because one of its campuses, The Leadership Academy at Forest Oak 6th Grade, received its fifth consecutive "unacceptable" academic rating for the 2022–2023 school year (The 2022-2023 rankings are the most recent available due to ongoing legal challenges). Support for Molinar Following the takeover announcement, one FWISD teacher said Molinar has earned her trust, and she'd like to see her stay. "Superintendent Molinar, she is the most exceptional leader I've ever worked for," said Kelsey Delatorre. "She believes in all of us, and she has an open door, and takes any kind of concern that any of us have, regardless of our position. First and foremost, I feel grateful for the work that they have done, and I hope to be an advocate for Superintendent Molinar. That is my ultimate hope that she stays in the position she is in because she is a part of the reason why I work for this city." There's been some turnaround under Molinar's leadership, which has been less than a year. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker expressed support for Molinar in the moments after the state takeover was announced, calling her potentially transformative for the district.
