Parents with children in the Fort Worth Independent School District have mixed feelings about the state takeover announced Thursday morning.
NBC 5 spoke with multiple parents outside West Handley Elementary School in Fort Worth on Thursday afternoon.
Several said they did not know the state intended to take over the beleaguered school district and did not know the state followed through with its intentions this morning.
West Handley Elementary is one of six Fort Worth ISD elementary campuses with an overall F-rating by the TEA.
The school is also among those directed to abide by a campus improvement plan.
The district-wide takeover means the district’s elected school board will be replaced with a board of managers.
The state could also replace the current superintendent with a new leader.
Marissa Sanchez has three children in the school district and calls the state’s decision ‘unfair.’
“These people that don’t know our communities, don’t know our students, what kind of representation will they bring because we will no longer have a say in our local representative decision-making,” said Sanchez.
“I don’t see this as a bad thing. I see this as a fresh start for Fort Worth ISD and a way for the community and parents to really be engaged now so that we can make sure we see a positive future for our kids,” said Trenace Dorsey-Hollins. “I hope this brings a new perspective. I hope the appointed board that comes in actually works well with the community and parents and listens to us and what we have to say.”
Dorsey-Hollins is the founder and executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, a parent-led advocacy group with 8,000 members.
Dorsey-Hollins is not concerned about the state assembling a new board to oversee changes in the district.
“Honestly, I don’t really care who’s in the seats. The parents that I serve don’t mind who’s in the seats one way or another,” she said. “We want to see change. What we do feel, though, is our current elected board has been in those seats for a while and that change has not been made in great strides like what we would like to see.”
Dorsey-Hollins says while many parents are only beginning to learn about the process, now is not a time to panic.
“This is a time now to get hyper-focused on what is going on in the school,” she said. “Get in touch with those groups that are helping parents understand what’s going on, like Parent Shield and know how you can best help and support through this transition.”
PTA parent Zach Leonard of Families Organized and Resisting Takeover, or FORT, urges families to engage in the process of selecting a new board.
“We need to make sure we identify and help to support qualified applicants from across Fort Worth and Benbrook, diverse applicants that are education-minded and level-headed,” he said.