Four of the five people governing Lake Worth ISD under a state takeover live outside the district, according to property records and a Fort Worth Report analysis.
Only longtime Lake Worth educator Judy Starnes appears to live within Lake Worth ISD boundaries based on Tarrant Appraisal District records. Others are tied to addresses in Fort Worth neighborhoods outside the district, including areas near downtown and the Ridgmar corridor.
The board of managers and new superintendent are tasked with reversing years of low academic performance in the 3,200-student district.
Board President Tom Harris said several members were recruited by the Texas Education Agency after participating in governance training connected to Fort Worth ISD’s takeover process. Harris, Ken Nichols and Mason Sneed all applied to serve on FWISD’s takeover board, according to previous Fort Worth Report findings.
Managers volunteered for the role because they want to help guide the district, Superintendent Ena Meyers, teachers and administrators as they work to give students the opportunity to excel in the classroom, Harris said.
“The entire LWISD board of managers believes all students deserve a high-quality education regardless of their ZIP code and look forward to engaging with the community as we move forward,” he said in an emailed statement.
The residence of two members, Amy Morgan and Ken Nichols, could not be confirmed through available public records.
The makeup of the board reflects both how the state selects managers and the limited number of Lake Worth residents who applied to serve.
Only 19 people applied for positions on the board of managers, according to updated data the Texas Education Agency released alongside its appointment of the managers and new Superintendent Ena Meyers. Of those, only four lived within district boundaries.
Texas law does not always require board of managers members to live in the district they oversee, agency spokesperson Jake Kobersky said.
A provision in state law requires a majority of managers to reside within district boundaries in certain takeover scenarios. But that requirement applies only when a district has had a conservator in place for two consecutive years, Kobersky said.
In Lake Worth ISD, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath appointed the board under a different section of law tied to mandatory intervention after years of failing academic performance, Kobersky said.
State law directs the commissioner to appoint individuals with relevant expertise.
“A board of managers appointed by the commissioner must, if possible, include community leaders, business representatives who have expertise in leadership, and individuals who have knowledge or expertise in the field of education,” Kobersky said, citing state statute.
The composition of Lake Worth’s board differs from larger districts like Fort Worth ISD, where hundreds of applicants sought nine seats on a similar state-appointed board. In Lake Worth, the smaller applicant pool limited the number of local candidates available for selection.
For some local leaders, like elected trustee Tammy Thomas, the outcome reflects longstanding challenges with community engagement in the district.
The takeover was triggered after Marilyn Miller Language Academy received five consecutive failing academic ratings under the state’s accountability system — a threshold that requires the commissioner to either close the campus or replace district leadership.
Morath opted to install a board of managers and a new superintendent, citing years of low student performance.
Who is governing Lake Worth ISD?
The five-member board now overseeing the district includes:
President Tom Harris is executive vice president at Hillwood and chairs the Fort Worth Mayor’s Council on Education & Workforce Development. He has experience in business leadership and regional workforce initiatives.
Vice President Amy Morgan is a longtime public school educator and former district administrator. She has worked in Texas public schools and brings experience in campus and district leadership.
Secretary Judy Starnes is a retired Lake Worth ISD educator and longtime community member. She spent years working in the district and is the only confirmed member living within district boundaries based on available records.
Ken Nichols is a retired U.S. Navy officer and adjunct professor. He has experience in leadership and postsecondary education.
Mason Sneed is a private equity professional with experience in finance and engineering. He has worked in investment and business strategy roles.
The board assumes the full powers of elected trustees who remain in office but no longer have governing authority.
Managers are responsible for setting policy, approving budgets and overseeing academic improvement efforts as the district works to raise student outcomes.
Disclosure: Lake Worth ISD manager Tom Harris is an executive vice president at Hillwood, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.orgor @matthewsgroi1.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/13/nearly-every-lake-worth-takeover-manager-lives-outside-the-district-why/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=549141&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/13/nearly-every-lake-worth-takeover-manager-lives-outside-the-district-why/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>