Three Lake Worth ISD school board seats are on the ballot Tuesday, with voters deciding two contested races as the district faces possible state intervention.
The election comes as Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath weighs whether to appoint a state board of managers to replace elected trustees or close Marilyn Miller Language Academy, which has posted five consecutive F grades in the state’s academic accountability system.
The at-large seats with three-year terms on the ballot are:
Place 1: Incumbent Tammy Thomas faces challenger Donald Bivens.
Place 2: Incumbent Bret Tooke faces challenger Mary Wilson Coker.
Place 3: Incumbent Armando Velazquez, currently the board president, is unopposed. He was first elected in 2008. Velazquez did not respond to a request for comment.
Polls are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Place 1
Thomas, first elected in 2013, said she initially didn’t plan to seek another term until the district received a June warning letter from the Texas Education Agency about potential state intervention.
“Considering the position that we are in and that I have served on this board for so long, I felt obligated to serve another term and to try to help us recover from this,” Thomas said.
Thomas, a lifelong Lake Worth resident, said she is proud of several district successes over her tenure, including growth in fine arts and career and technical education. She also credited Superintendent Mark Ramirez, who she voted to hire in May, with facing the district’s problems directly.
“He has taken full responsibility for a situation that he inherited. He was no part of the failure that we have gone through,” Thomas said. “What we were doing here was not working. We hired him to do the job and I’m going to listen to him. … I’m going to support him 100%.”
If reelected, Thomas said she would focus on restoring trust and transparency, supporting teachers and strengthening parent engagement.
Thomas said the district must cooperate closely with TEA officials if they want what’s best for students.
“It’s time for this board to sit back and listen and follow directions,” she said.
Thomas reported a single $100 contribution from Lake Worth City Council member Sherrie Watkins and spent about $1,300, according to campaign finance reports.
Bivens, a business owner who has lived in Lake Worth for 30 years, did not respond to multiple requests for comment and did not file campaign finance reports.
Place 2
Coker, a retired school counselor and substitute teacher, said she’s challenging Tooke because “there’s nowhere to go but up.” Coker is also the sister-in-law of Thomas.
Tooke, a mechanic and maintenance worker for Lockheed Martin, did not respond to requests for comment. Tooke was first elected in 2018.
While Coker supports maintaining local control, she’s prepared to serve regardless of the state’s decision — and in any role she can, she said.
“If a board of managers happens, it happens and we’ll still roll with it,” Coker said.
She pointed to early signs of improvement since Ramirez arrived, specifically citing recent early test results showing better student performance than in previous years.
“It’s a process,” Coker said. “I feel like we’re moving in the right direction.”
Coker did not report any campaign fundraising but spent about $1,300.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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