Fort Worth ISD parents criticized rigid teaching methods and a lack of transparency from new district leaders, as the state takeover enters its first school year.
Jessica Ma
The learning conditions, as their white T-shirts declared, were “unacceptable.”
Fort Worth ISD parents gathered outside the administrative building ahead of Tuesday evening’s school board meeting. They criticized what they described as a rigid curriculum and a lack of transparency from new leadership, as the district enters its first school year under state control.
“What we have seen in the takeover is not an improvement,” said parent Sabrina Ball. “It is a massive step backwards.”
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The Texas Education Agency took over the district last year, after a campus received a failing grade for five consecutive years. State-appointed managers replaced elected trustees, while a new superintendent, Peter Licata, took the helm. They’re here, they say, to turn around a struggling district.
The new administration has ushered in sweeping changes. District leaders want to maximize instruction time from the start to the end of the day. They have installed cameras in low-performing schools.
“Going back to the old ways, the old days, is not good for everyone,” Licata said during the board meeting. “That’s why we’re here, and change is hard.”
Concerns over curriculum, teacher retention
In the three months after the takeover began, nearly 800 teachers resigned. More have left after the district’s deadline to resign, with the district voting again Tuesday night to report some to the Texas Education Agency for the late departure.
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While the district launched an aggressive hiring campaign, many new staff members don’t have teaching credentials. Now, parents worry more teachers will leave, citing micromanagement and stringent teaching methods.
Related: Nearly 800 Fort Worth ISD teachers resigned after state takeover
On Tuesday, parents described what they heard: Teachers fear losing their jobs and autonomy over their classrooms. They’re afraid to speak up.
Now, Vahista Ussery’s children come home, complaining that learning feels joyless, she said.
“The reason that my children still love going to school is because of their teachers. Their teachers have poured their hearts into them,” she said. “What happens when those teachers leave?”
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In August, the board reported nine former educators to the state, because they resigned without prior approval or “good cause” after the deadline, which could suspend their teaching certificates for up to a year. On Tuesday, the board voted 6-2 to refer more educators to the state. One manager abstained.
Most educators resign for acceptable reasons and aren’t reported to the state. Each case was considered individually and was a “hard decision,” said Pete Geren, board president.
Ussery urged district leaders to reconsider.
“We need teachers to want to stay in Fort Worth ISD, not because they are afraid of what will happen if they leave. But because they believe this is a district where they are valued, supported and respected,” she said.
Asking for more transparency amid takeover
Parents also say they feel left in the dark. Earlier this summer, the district changed its public comment policy. Rather than all speak at the start, public speakers now give their comments at three different points of the meeting, depending on when the item comes before the board.
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Now, only parents — who can hire babysitters and enjoy a flexible schedule — can stay late to advocate for their children, Ball said. Board meetings can sometimes stretch into early morning hours.
Related: Texas school takeover tracker – Who’s under TEA control and who’s at risk
The district made efforts to increase transparency by hosting a series of meetings, called Superintendent Strategic Action Sessions. Over the past month, parents had the rare chance to converse with Licata and brainstorm ideas on white poster paper.
But some parents said those meetings produced little change — and tensions flared up at times. At the last meeting, on Sep. 1, police escorted out a parent, after he used profanity to express his frustration, according to WFAA-TV (Channel 8).
Posters from community listening sessions hung from the walls during the Fort Worth ISD school board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.
Jessica Ma
Licata said the sessions were “incredibly useful.” Posters from those meetings hung on the walls of the board room.
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“There’s a lot of handwriting up there,” Licata said. “This is what the community came back with.”
Licata has described Fort Worth ISD’s test scores as unacceptable. But so is the administration’s approach to curriculum, said Zach Leonard, president of Families Organized and Resisting Takeover, a parent advocacy group.
“What’s acceptable is parent engagement, participation and advocacy,” he said.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
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The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.