When I took the job as superintendent of the Fort Worth school district on March 24, I knew meaningful change would not happen overnight. But I knew it needed to start right away. The reason I was hired was one simple, indisputable fact: too many of our schools were failing to educate many of our kids.
While there has been incremental progress in some areas, far too many of our students are still not achieving at the levels they deserve. That reality demanded change — not because our educators lack commitment but because our students deserve better outcomes. Accepting the status quo is simply not an option.
Over the past four months, our leadership team has worked with urgency to stabilize operations, restore confidence, and build systems that put students — not adults — at the center of every decision we make.
One of our first priorities was ensuring that every student arrives safely at school each day. We eliminated all bus driver vacancies and hired additional qualified drivers to strengthen daily operations and reduce disruptions.
Equally encouraging is the progress in staffing our classrooms. For years, Fort Worth ISD routinely began the school year with more than 200 teacher vacancies, many of which remained open throughout the year. This year, we opened school with only nine classroom teacher vacancies districtwide, a testament to our Human Capital team, campus leaders and the outstanding educators who chose Fort Worth ISD because they believe in our mission.
Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Peter Licata high-fives students as they arrive at W.M. Green Elementary School for the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
We also restructured our central administration, eliminating positions that did not directly support student achievement and redirecting resources back into classrooms where they can have the greatest impact. This work has also required difficult decisions, including consolidating campuses.
Instruction has remained our highest priority.
This year, we introduced Cowtown 12, a districtwide instructional framework designed to protect instructional time while providing every teacher with clear, consistent expectations for high-quality teaching. Great teachers deserve clarity, and Cowtown 12 establishes districtwide expectations while honoring each teacher’s craft.
Top schools are built one classroom at a time by exceptional teachers. Our responsibility is to provide them with outstanding curriculum, meaningful support, clear expectations, and the trust to do what they do best: teach children.
Our curriculum and instructional teams spent the summer strengthening instructional resources and ensuring teachers began the school year with high-quality, aligned materials and the support they need to help every student succeed.
Student achievement remains our North Star.
Every student deserves to leave our classrooms prepared for the next grade, college, a career, military service and life.
We will continue accelerating literacy and mathematics achievement, strengthening support for multilingual learners and students with disabilities, increasing attendance, improving college and career readiness, and ensuring every campus has the leadership and resources necessary to succeed.
We will continue emphasizing meaningful writing, critical thinking and productive classroom engagement. Technology is an important instructional tool, but it should never replace the deep learning that comes through reading, writing, discussion and problem solving.
We have also worked to make Fort Worth ISD more accessible and transparent by expanding communication with families, increasing opportunities for public engagement, and creating new ways for our community to receive timely, accurate information directly from the district.
We will continue using data to identify where students need additional support, invest in instructional coaching, expand professional learning, and monitor progress with transparency. Improvement cannot be measured by intentions alone. It must be measured by student outcomes.
Education works best when adults remember who this work is truly about.
Public education is not a political ideology; it is an American ideal. Our responsibility is not to serve politics; it is to serve children.
Healthy conversations and community engagement strengthen public education. To help families receive timely and accurate information, Fort Worth ISD has created a dedicated Frequently Asked Questions resource that addresses common questions and is updated as needed. If families cannot find the information they need, they can submit additional questions directly to the district, and our team will respond with accurate, official information.
Every decision we make should answer one simple question: Is this in the best interest of our students? One fact that’s not debatable is that his school district must change and produce better results. Our kids deserve it. Our future demands it. And we are going to deliver it.
This year we also invested directly in the people who make student success possible by providing classroom teachers with a 5% pay increase — one of the largest teacher salary increases in Texas — along with meaningful salary investments for other employees. Combined with a renewed focus on recruiting, supporting and retaining outstanding educators, these investments helped Fort Worth ISD reduce teacher vacancies to near zero as we began the school year.
Looking ahead, we will continue expanding high-quality district school-choice options and career and technical education pathways so every student can find a path for life after Fort Worth ISD.
On Monday morning, thousands of students walked through the doors of our schools to begin a new year filled with opportunity. I wish every student, parent, teacher, principal, support employee and volunteer a safe, successful and inspiring school year.
Dr. Peter B. Licata is the superintendent of the Fort Worth Independent School District.
Dr. Peter B. Licata Courtesy of TEA
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