FORT WORTH, Texas – One month into the 2026-27 school year, some Fort Worth ISD parents are still frustrated with the district’s new leadership.
Local perspective:
Fort Worth ISD held a school board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Before the meeting, several parents of Fort Worth ISD students met outside the district’s administration building.
Parents at the meeting wore T-shirts reading “unacceptable.”
The parents who spoke at the meeting said the district’s new leadership has created a “culture of fear” for students, and the district’s changes haven’t amounted to anything a month after classes began.
“Stress levels are up. Every school, stress levels up like I’ve never seen dropping my kids off inside,” Lafayette Fruge said.
“There hasn’t been any communication in Spanish related to these listening sessions. They haven’t been promoted or amplified,” Norma Garcia-Lopez said.
The other side:
Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata did highlight the gains the district has made since the Texas Education Agency appointed him and a board of managers in March.
“Going back to the old ways and the old days is not going for everyone. And it’s not good for 60 percent of our kids who can’t read,” Licata said.
The district was awarded a 77 score and a C grade from the Texas Education Agency in August. That’s a four-point increase from 2025, and up from a D grade the district was given in 2023.
Still, Licata says he’s trying to learn by holding superintendent community meetings, even if attendance at those meetings hasn’t been as strong as he hoped.
“I was a little bit disappointed. Thought our attendance was not as strong as I hoped, that every part of our community was not represented,” Licata said.
“That means the responsibility is still on me to continue going directly to the people we need to hear from.”
What you can do:
The Fort Worth ISD superintendent community meetings will continue through the end of this week.
Fort Worth ISD has also created a community-wide survey that goes until Sept. 15. Find that survey here.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a Fort Worth ISD school board meeting and concerned parents of Fort Worth ISD students.