A Fort Worth Independent School District policy that outlines the rights and legal procedures of certain employees has been almost completely redlined. Community members and attorneys are concerned about what that will mean for the job security of those employees in the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n
The policy, DCE Local<\/a>, now only states, \u201cthe superintendent may elect to employ on term contracts personnel not eligible for a contract under Chapter 21 of the Education Code.\u201d The rest of the former policy \u2014 which spans about five pages long and addresses probationary periods, progressive discipline, appeals, hearings and more \u2014 was cut out on Tuesday night after the Board of Managers unanimously voted to delete the language.<\/p>\n There was no public discussion by the board before the item was approved. The board approved the change in a 7-0 vote with board members Frost Prioleau and Laurie George absent from the meeting.<\/p>\n During public comment at the meeting, a speaker who identified herself as a graduate from Fort Worth ISD\u2019s Northside High School voiced her confusion and objection about cutting the board policy and called for transparency in what criteria the district would use when terminating an employee.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re seeking. I think the intent is to give yourself unyielding power to terminate contracts as you wish. And I think that\u2019s problematic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n District records<\/a> state that non-Chapter 21 contracts do not carry the same procedural protections as Chapter 21 ones do. Chapter 21 contracts account for roles such as certified teachers, principals, counselors, librarians and full-time nurses. Education law attorneys told the Star-Telegram central administration staff or uncertified teachers can have these types of non-Chapter 21 contracts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proposed revisions streamline the policy by removing detailed provisions that are not required at the board policy level and instead belong in individual employment contracts. These updates do not change or affect the rights of employees currently working under non-Chapter 21 contracts for the 2025\u20132026 school year,\u201d according to the district records.<\/p>\n Attorney Giana Ortiz said she\u2019s skeptical of the language being included in upcoming contracts.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is not the case in my experience, and those contracts look different from district to district and even from employee to employee. But the protections that you see stricken out in that policy for non-Chapter 21 employees, in my experience, do not reside in the contract,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cI do infer that the administration is intending to remove protections around progressive discipline, employment decision-making and then hearings for those employees.\u201d<\/p>\n Fort Worth ISD officials did not respond to requests for comment asking for further explanation on the decision to cut the board policy.<\/p>\n Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association, noted in a statement that these types of contracts account for a small number of employees but still described the policy change as \u201cconcerning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the Board of Managers did (Tuesday) night doesn\u2019t change the rights of teachers, nurses, counselors, or others with contracts mandated by state law. The Board of Managers can\u2019t ignore state law when it comes to teachers\u2019 rights. For the small number of employees who received employment contracts not mandated by state law, the board policy change is concerning since it is not clear what rights their employment contracts will have,\u201d Poole said.<\/p>\n As of the 2023-24 school year, the latest data available, there were 48 uncertified teachers<\/a> in Fort Worth ISD, which represents about 1% of the 4,493 teachers districtwide, according to the Texas Education Agency. A public information request recently filed by the Star-Telegram to Fort Worth ISD asking for numbers of central administration staff showed there were 1,425 non-campus staff in early April.<\/p>\n