Edwardo Perez, 9, looks over the free books available with his mother Susana Aquiniga during Fort Worth Independent School District’s family literacy conference on Saturday, April 12 at O.D. Wyatt High School.
John Rowland
(Special to the Star-Telegram)
By Betsy Price
During the decade I served as mayor of Fort Worth, I was proud to be part of the incredible growth and transformation our city achieved. Fort Worth is now one of the fastest-growing large cities in the country. But we’re limited by a critical component to our ability to thrive as a world-class city: the state of our public schools.
Schools play a defining role in the life and future of a city. Strong public schools help shape the opportunities available to our children and prepare the next generation of leaders, workers and citizens.
When families consider where to put down roots, the quality of local schools is often at the top of the list of factors. Employers pay attention as well, knowing that communities with strong schools are places where families want to live and talented people want to build their careers. Investing in excellent schools in Fort Worth is ultimately an investment in our children — and in the long-term vitality and competitiveness of our city.
My husband and I, our children, and now our four grandchildren all proudly attended Fort Worth Independent School District schools. I served as PTA president, joined site-based management teams at five schools and was deeply involved in programs such as the Cowtown Marathon’s children’s running program. As mayor, I read to elementary students every month and laced up my sneakers to run with them.
When my own kids were spread across three different FWISD schools, I made it a point to serve on all three PTAs, because I knew that great schools require strong community involvement.
The district and our city are at a critical moment. Under state law, the Texas Education Agency had to intervene when a campus received failing academic ratings for five consecutive years. Currently, 11 of our schools are rated “F,” eight of them for three straight years. That means more than 20,000 out of our 70,000 students attend a D- or F-rated school.
Meaningful change is on the horizon. The elected school board will be replaced by a temporary Board of Managers chosen from volunteers in the community who care about improving our schools. State Education Commissioner Mike Morath has decided that Dr. Karen Molinar will not remain as our superintendent. She was a devoted educator, and many people are disappointed that she won’t get the chance to continue the progress she made toward turning some of our failing schools around. But she established a foundation that we can build upon.
Let’s be frank: None of us are happy that it has come to this point, that a lot of Fort Worth parents and kids feel stuck in failing schools, and that the state has to intervene to help us improve those schools. But this is where we are today, so we have a choice: Do we criticize the process, pointing out every flaw or disappointment and fighting progress every step of the intervention? Or do we acknowledge that these changes are necessary to give our kids the schools they deserve and that it’s our duty to be part of the solution?
We must get behind the transformation that is headed for Fort Worth ISD and push it forward with as much speed and solidarity as we can muster. All of us should be at the table because all of us are responsible for the state of our schools, whether we’re parents, educators, elected officials, business owners or employees.
We must have a student-first mindset, prioritizing what’s going to support children’s academic progress above everything else. That means showing up at board meetings, volunteering time and expertise and focusing relentlessly on policies and investments that put students first. It’s hard work, and it’s mandatory.
Fort Worth is known for uniting in the face of tough challenges. When this process is complete, and every child in Fort Worth ISD has a great public school to attend, I hope we’ll look back at this time with pride that we pulled together for our kids and for the future of our city instead of devoting our energy to being naysayers.
This is our moment to show up for our children and put them first. It’s also a teachable moment: When you’re down, you come together and put in the work to fight your way back up. That’s the spirit Fort Worth is known for and one of the many reasons I’m proud to call this city home.
Betsy Price was mayor of Fort Worth from 2011 to 2021.
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