Fort Worth ISD kicked off its 2026-27 school year last week as the first full year under a state takeover by the Texas Education Agency. The week brought a lockdown, board member apologies, new accountability grades and a fresh instructional model aimed at turning around low-performing campuses.

Here are key takeaways:

Fort Worth ISD began the school year with zero classroom teacher vacancies after offering a 5% raise, following more than 1,000 teacher resignations in prior months, according to Superintendent Peter Licata’s first-day remarks.Five people, including an 18-year-old student identified as Lucio Garcia, were arrested after a gun photo prompted a lockdown at O.D. Wyatt High School, though no weapon was recovered. Garcia faces a terroristic threat charge.A teacher at Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School was placed on administrative leave over allegations of inappropriate communication with a student, with the matter reported to law enforcement and state agencies.The Board of Managers voted to report nine teachers to the state for breaking their contracts after the 45-day deadline, with only member Rosa Maria Berdeja opposing the action.Board members Tennessee Walker and Laurie George apologized to speech-language pathologists over April staffing cuts, and Licata pledged a recruitment and retention report within two weeks.Fort Worth ISD’s overall rating stayed a C, but its score rose from 73 to 77, with F-rated campuses dropping from 10 to 7 and D-rated campuses from 27 to 19, per newly released 2026 A-F accountability grades.TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said the agency will not close William James Middle School despite its fifth consecutive F rating, citing the district’s improvement plan under the Elevate Network.Principal Melissa Strom and Licata described a “180-degree” turnaround at William Monnig Middle School under the Elevate Network’s district-defined curriculum and bell-to-bell teaching model, now expanding to 24 campuses.The district unveiled a three-tier system — Elevate, Emerge and Exemplar — letting campuses earn autonomy by meeting benchmarks for three consecutive years.Former Superintendent Karen Molinar revealed more about her new role as CEO of REV Partnership, a Tarrant County education nonprofit that will collaborate with her former district under Licata’s leadership.A Texas appeals court ruled Aug. 13 that a 14-year whistleblower case brought by former assistant principal Joseph Palazzolo will return to a jury trial, calling the district’s actions “blatant retaliation.”The Board of Managers launched a community listening survey open through Sept. 15 to gather parent and community priorities as part of its “radical transparency” pledge.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.

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