Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar speaks to the media during a press conference on the first day of school at Mary Louise Phillips Elementary on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
Chris Torres
ctorres@star-telegram.com
Karen Molinar, the former superintendent of the Fort Worth school district, will receive more than $360,000 in settlement pay.
Molinar’s settlement is equal to the sum of one year’s salary and benefits, according to the separation agreement released by Fort Worth ISD officials on Tuesday in response to an open records request. Her departure from the district came after the Texas Education Agency implemented a state takeover in March, appointing a new superintendent, Peter Licata, and Board of Managers to temporarily replace the democratically elected school board.
The agreement refers to Molinar’s departure as a resignation, effective at the end of the month on July 31. She will be paid the settlement by that date. In addition to her $360,000 annual base salary, she will also be compensated for 20 unused vacation days and 15 personal leave days. Molinar would receive about $52,720 for these days, according to her daily rate of pay of about $1,506.
Her employment contract also has a long-term service incentive worth $100,000 that was scheduled to be paid in increments through 2028. Since her employment with the district ends earlier, the payment will be prorated based on the period from the last semi-monthly payment to her last day, according to the contract.
The Star-Telegram has asked Fort Worth ISD to verify the full payment amount to Molinar but has not received a response as of early Wednesday afternoon.
A new state law, which went into effect on Sept. 1 last year, requires severance payments for school district superintendents to be no more than 20 weeks of compensation. Molinar’s employment contract went into effect in March 2025, and predates this new requirement.
Through the end of the month, Molinar will also continue to serve in an advisory role to new Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Peter Licata, which she has done since his appointment amid the leadership transition.
Molinar was recently named CEO of the Tarrant County education nonprofit Rev Partnership.
“I am so grateful for the time I spent in FWISD. I was blessed to work with amazing educators, parents and partners for over 28 years,” Molinar said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am excited for the next chapter at Rev Partnership and being able to work alongside the talented Tarrant County superintendents.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 12:47 PM.
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Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.