FORT WORTH, Texas — On Tuesday night, the Fort Worth Independent School District will hold the first public meeting since the Texas Education Agency (TEA) officially got the green light to take over the district.

One board member, Wallace Bridges, announced his resignation shortly after the decision.

According to the board’s agenda, they plan to meet with their attorneys to discuss the new board of managers and a conservator.

It follows a flurry of other school districts that are also facing state takeovers, including Connally, Lake Worth and Beaumont school districts.

At the end of last week, a panel of judges cleared the TEA for takeover of Fort Worth ISD, despite appeals from the district.

This decision comes after Fort Worth’s Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade got its fifth “F” rating in a row from the TEA.

That rating was for the 2022-23 school year, which was also the same year the school closed and merged with another school.

But TEA Commissioner Mike Morath pressed on, pointing out that the district had 60% of its campuses receive an “F” or “D” rating in the 2022-23 school year.

The new ruling is final, and Fort Worth ISD cannot appeal the decision again. So, the TEA will appoint a new board of managers to replace the current school board.

Fort Worth’s current superintendent will still be considered an applicant for superintendent.

Leading up to this call from the TEA, parents have continued to question the board, many feeling like they’ve been left in the dark throughout the process.

“Last fall I stood up here, and I asked the question, ‘Is this board one that we could trust?’ Ironically, this same board is now being taken over by the state,” said Stephanie Veliz, a parent in the district. “When the fight for De Zavala [a FWISD elementary school] started, you said that ratings don’t matter because they fluctuate, testing changes. But as I have sat here the last few months, from what I hear, that is not exactly the case. Or the state wouldn’t be in our backyard. So why is De Zavala, with an amazing four years in a row, A-rated status, not being saved from closure? Four years speaks volumes.”

In the 2024-25 school year, the number of F-rated campuses at Fort Worth ISD dropped from 31 to 11, and A-rated campuses increased by 70%.

But the TEA said 20 campuses have still been academically unacceptable for multiple years in a row.