Dozens of residents showed up at a town hall Saturday afternoon to ask questions about the state’s takeover of the Fort Worth Independent School District and hear from community and state leaders.

“It is morally wrong … these schools belong to the parents, they belong to the community,” Democratic Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa told the group at Greater St. Stephen First Church in the Near Southside.

Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced Oct. 23 that the Texas Education Agency would take over the district due to years of failing ratings. Fort Worth ISD’s elected school board will be replaced with a board of managers made up of state-appointed local residents, and Morath will appoint a conservator to oversee the transition. He will also appoint a superintendent and he has said current Superintendent Karen Molinar will be considered as a candidate.

The state takeover comes after one of the district’s campuses received five consecutive failing ratings on the state’s A-F ratings for schools. The latest failing grade at the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade Center dates back to 2023, but wasn’t released until this year due to a court battle connected to the rating system.

When a school receives five failing ratings, a 2015 Texas law requires the campus in question be closed or a state takeover of the entire district.

Leadership Academy at Forest Oak closed at the conclusion of the 2022-23 school year and merged with Forest Oak Middle School, but Morath said his responsibility to act remains unchanged.

According to Hinojosa, the state’s accountability system is broken. She pointed out that more than 50% of the students at the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak were English language learners. In spite of that, they would have been expected to pass the STAAR test in English, she said.

“Because of this one school with bigger challenges than most schools, the whole district is taken over,” she said. “How’s that fair?”

Fort Worth ISD, which has around 70,000 students, is one of the largest districts in the state. For the past several years, it’s been the lowest performing of all the big urban districts in Texas.

Academic performance has improved since Molinar, the current superintendent, took over in October 2024. The number of campuses with F ratings went from 31 to 11 during the course of the year, and 63 schools gained at least one letter grade. STAAR scores also improved across almost every grade level.

Hinojosa acknowledged that there’s room for improvement in the district, but taking power from the people won’t make it better, she said.

Fort Worth resident Carolyn Haines doesn’t have kids in school, but she told the Star-Telegram that she came to the town hall as a concerned citizen. She believes local control of the schools is important because the leaders understand what the district needs.

“We know our community,” Haines said.

Fort Worth ISD mom Anna McElhany agrees with Hinojosa that test scores have become a major focus in the Texas educational system.

McElhany, whose children attend World Languages Institute, said she’s been happy with their school.

Town hall attendees expressed concerns about keeping quality teachers in Fort Worth ISD and making sure the board of managers reflects the concerns of parents. Others wanted to know how to make sure Molinar remains in the position of superintendent.

Ruth Kravitz, founder of the nonprofit Community Voices for Public Education, said those questions are hard to answer because the board of managers, unlike school board members, won’t be elected officials.

“There’s no voter to hold them accountable at the ballot box,” Kravitz said.

Kravitz, a former Houston ISD teacher, said teacher turnover and enrollment decline has skyrocketed in that district since the state takeover in 2023. Qualified teaching professionals who’ve left have been replaced by uncertified teachers, she said.

“The short note is we lost all our teachers, enrollment is declining, kids aren’t learning, the scores are fake and kids are sad,” Kravitz said.

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Hinojosa encouraged community members to organize and hold their elected representatives in the state legislature accountable.

“Hold our governor accountable,” Hinojosa said. “You all have the power. You all have the knowledge to make this right.”

Fort Worth ISD will have an opportunity to appeal the takeover. District officials met with Morath in Austin on Thursday for an “informal review.” Morath is expected to evaluate the best path for the district and send a letter with his determination.

If the TEA moves forward with the takeover after the review, the district can appeal to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Fort Worth residents who are interested in being considered for the board of managers can apply online. The deadline is Nov. 21.

TEA will host two public meetings this month “to keep families, staff, and the broader community informed and involved throughout this process.”

The first meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 at Polytechnic High School, 1300 Connor Ave.

The second meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at the Fort Worth ISD Administration Building, 7060 Camp Bowie Blvd.