Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar | Image by Fort Worth Education Partners/X
The Texas Education Agency has decided not to retain Karen Molinar as superintendent of the Fort Worth Independent School District as part of its ongoing takeover.
Molinar announced the news on Wednesday in a letter to parents and staff. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath had invited her to interview for the permanent position, but she was not selected.
“This decision is not a reflection of Dr. Molinar’s leadership but made with consideration for the scope of changes and improvements needed to better serve all students in the district,” Morath said in a statement, CBS News Texas reported. “These needs require specialized leadership that can rapidly improve the trajectory of the district.”
Morath thanked Molinar for nearly three decades of service to Fort Worth ISD.
The state intervention began in October 2025 after one campus received its fifth consecutive unacceptable academic rating. That triggered a state law allowing the TEA to replace the elected board of trustees with a board of managers, as previously reported on by The Dallas Express.
Molinar, who became superintendent in March 2025 after serving as deputy superintendent of administrative services, said the district had made progress during her time leading it, including new literacy initiatives and instructional calendars that created a foundation for future gains.
“I believe in the transformative work we have done in our short time together as a community to improve the quality of education for our students,” she wrote, KERA reported. “Fort Worth is my home, and the FWISD community is my family,” she added, per WFAA.
She will remain in the role until the TEA approves a leadership transition. The agency is still selecting a new board of managers and expects to announce both the new superintendent and board members in the coming weeks.