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Texas Orders Takeover of Fort Worth ISD, Will Install Board of Managers

State action follows a campus’s fifth straight failing rating that triggered intervention under Texas law.

Overview

  • Commissioner Mike Morath said the elected trustees will be replaced by a state-appointed board of managers and a conservator in the second-largest district takeover in Texas.
  • Superintendent Karen Molinar remains for now but must reapply, with the agency conducting a nationwide search and reserving the option to appoint new leadership.
  • Morath cited persistent low performance, including roughly 34% of students not meeting grade level and about 20 campuses with multi-year unacceptable ratings.
  • The district’s closure of Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade in 2023 did not avert intervention after the campus logged five consecutive unacceptable ratings.
  • TEA opened applications for managers, scheduled public meetings for Nov. 6 and Nov. 13, and will set exit criteria for a phased return to elected governance, as reactions ranged from board disappointment to mayoral support and mixed parent views.