News of the state’s takeover of Fort Worth ISD on Thursday prompted both an immediate outcry and cautious praise from parents and community members.
Following the announcement, some said they spent the day trying to understand what this means for their children’s schools, parsing statements by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath and reaching out to fellow parents.
“The bottom line is this is going to be a big distraction,” said Lupe Lynch, a mother of two in the district who opposes the takeover. “We’re already seeing the confusion.”
Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar said some schools fielded questions from baffled parents asking whether their children should return to school Friday or if schools would be shut down. The answer: Schools are open, and in the immediate future, little will change.
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“This is your school district,” Molinar said at a news conference Thursday, speaking directly to families. “These are your schools, and I believe in Fort Worth education.”
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As part of the takeover, the state will remove the district’s nine-member board of trustees and appoint a board of managers. Morath will launch a national search for a new superintendent. Molinar, who was named superintendent in March, is among those candidates.
Fort Worth ISD — which has around 70,000 students, 85% of whom are considered economically disadvantaged — has faced the threat of a takeover for months after one of its campuses earned a failing rating for five consecutive years.
District leaders and many in the community hoped to stave off the takeover, pointing to recent academic gains. In recent months, the district poured millions of dollars into literacy and math initiatives that placed more expert teachers in the classroom. Fifty of the district’s schools have moved up at least one letter grade, and the number of F-rated schools decreased from 31 to 11.
Given those improvements, some parents said they were disappointed with Morath’s decision and decried the loss of local control. Opponents of state takeovers have assailed them as politically motivated efforts to wrestle control over education, particularly in districts that are predominantly Black and Hispanic and economically disadvantaged, such as Fort Worth ISD.
“I am not entirely surprised, but I am horrified,” said Keith Annis, a father of two whose children attend school in the district. “I think this is going to be a disaster for all the schools in Fort Worth ISD.”
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Annis said he is particularly worried about the loss of excellent teachers, who could flee to area school districts with more independence. Thousands of teachers have left Houston ISD since the state took that district over in 2023 and adopted numerous curriculum changes.
Recent reports that top schools in Houston ISD will transition to public-private partnerships are deeply unsettling, he said.
“This is part of an ongoing effort to privatize our schools,” he said. “It’s really unfortunate this is happening.”
District trustees have not yet indicated whether they will appeal Morath’s decision. In a statement, the board said it was disappointed and is “exploring all available options.”
Kristin Klade, a Lutheran minister who has two children in the district, said she would like Morath to lay out clear protocols for the takeover and markers the district must hit to regain control. So far, those guidelines have been too vague, she said.
Morath said Thursday the district must have no multi-year failing campuses before it can return to elected trustee control.
Klade said she and others are working to identify candidates interested in serving on the board of managers who understand the district and community. She said she hopes Morath will appoint Molinar, a longtime district administrator, as superintendent to provide a measure of local control.
“We are very grieved by this,” she said. “Our prerogative now is to figure out how to best support our district in whatever way we can.”
Not all were unhappy with the decision. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker acknowledged the takeover is causing confusion and trepidation in the community, but said in a statement it “has the potential to be transformative.”
In 2024, Parker voiced dissatisfaction with the state of the district and urged trustees to develop a plan to boost student achievement.
“Fort Worth ISD has the opportunity to lead with courage to turn around our district and avoid state intervention,” Parker said at the time. On Thursday, the mayor pledged to work with the district.
“Literacy and education matter for all students,” she said, “regardless of zip code.”