{"id":230058,"date":"2026-04-01T10:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/230058\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:48:11","slug":"fort-worth-isds-new-state-appointed-board-holds-first-meeting-amid-takeover-promises-transparency-and-improvements-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/230058\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth ISD\u2019s new state-appointed board holds first meeting amid takeover, promises transparency and improvements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fort Worth ISD\u2019s newly appointed board of managers<\/a> held its first public meeting Tuesday night, marking a pivotal moment for the district as state leaders take control following years of failing campus ratings.<\/p>\n

The meeting introduced an entirely new leadership team \u2014 including Board President Pete Geren and acting Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata<\/a> \u2014 both appointed by the Texas Education Agency as part of the state\u2019s intervention.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis board is new \u2014 new to everybody in this room,\u201d Geren said.<\/p>\n

The overhaul comes after Marilyn Miller Language Academy received five consecutive ‘F’ ratings, triggering the TEA to step in and replace the elected school board with state-appointed leaders. The district currently has 11 failing campuses.<\/p>\n

Geren called the moment one of \u201ctransformational change\u201d for the district.<\/p>\n

Licata, who will serve as acting superintendent, struck an energetic tone as he addressed the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited \u2014 I\u2019m wired,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During the meeting, Licata introduced a new \u201ctheory of action\u201d which includes “excellent academic performance for all students,” along with strengthening classroom instruction, excellent talent, enhanced pathways for graduates, and excellent service to students, families, and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an opportunity here and we have to take advantage of it, and we will,\u201d Licata said. \u201cThank you for holding me accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public comment quickly turned into a call for transparency and accountability from parents and community members.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are here and we must hold you accountable for that improvement,\u201d parent Ken Khul told the board.<\/p>\n

Others emphasized the importance of community involvement moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here because our community deserves to be part of decisions about our children\u2019s education,\u201d said Zach Leonard, president of the parent-led group F.O.R.T (Families Organized and Resisting Takeover).<\/p>\n

Former school board president Dr. Roxanne Martinez also addressed the new board, acknowledging past progress while urging leaders to build on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been real progress underway,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cI welcome you into our work and hope you build on the progress we put in motion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martinez also raised concerns about one of the board\u2019s early decisions \u2014 temporarily waiving existing district policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen policies are set aside\u2026 it raises deep concerns,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Geren responded by saying the suspension is temporary as the new board reviews and adjusts board policies.<\/p>\n

He also made a broader promise about the direction of the district under new leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want this administration to be known for two things: student outcomes and radical transparency,\u201d Geren said.<\/p>\n

As the meeting wrapped, both district leaders and community members acknowledged the magnitude of the moment \u2014 and the scrutiny ahead.<\/p>\n

The work begins immediately, with both the Fort Worth community and state officials closely watching what comes next.<\/p>\n

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath previously announced he’ll assess academic progress in two years. If improvement isn’t sufficient, he’ll then reassess after another two years. State-appointed leadership could last upwards of four years before it returns to local-elected control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fort Worth ISD\u2019s newly appointed board of managers held its first public meeting Tuesday night, marking a pivotal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[88964,88965,116,118,8257,117,88963,88966,2333,2810],"class_list":["post-230058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-elected-school-board","tag-excellent-service","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-isd","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-pete-geren","tag-roxanne-martinez","tag-state-leaders","tag-texas-education-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}