Parent Marisol Herrera has sat through her share of listening sessions in Fort Worth ISD.<\/p>\n
When the district\u2019s Texas-appointed board of managers<\/a> announced a new round of community meetings, Herrera showed up at last week\u2019s workshop with a message: Listening isn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n \u201cThe frustrating part is that we speak \u2014 and then we\u2019re right back in the same place,\u201d said Herrera, a leader in a districtwide PTA group and parent advocacy organization. \u201cWe\u2019d like to see action connected to it.\u201d<\/p>\n The sessions come at a pivotal time, as the district prepares for its first full school year under\u00a0 takeover leadership. Managers said they will use the sessions to shape their goals and priorities for the 2027-28 budget.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may not always agree on the path forward, but there is far more agreement than disagreement on one fundamental point, and that is that we want our students to truly thrive,\u201d Herrera said.<\/p>\n Listening sessions begin at 5:30 p.m.:<\/p>\n June 22 at North Side High School. The listening sessions will continue through August. Managers plan to ask community groups and organizations to host sessions to hear from residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n Superintendent Peter Licata<\/a> also plans to hold his own listening sessions.<\/p>\n Herrera and fellow FWISD parent Dionna Deardorff serve on the leadership team of Families Organized and Resisting Takeover<\/a>, or FORT.\u00a0<\/p>\n Deardorff urged managers to partner with groups embedded in neighborhoods, including FORT, the district\u2019s special education PTA and Parent Shield.<\/p>\n “I know there are families, particularly on our east side and north side, who have felt ignored,” Deardorff said. “But I believe this is our chance to change that. This administration and this board are telling us they’re willing to listen, so please show up one more time.”<\/p>\n AJ Crabill, a school governance training coach, told managers that they must listen to the visions and values of the community as they represent residents. The listening sessions will bring different perspectives than the voices who speak out during public comment at board meetings, Crabill said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe public commenters are not a proxy for listening to the vision and values of the community as a whole,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s a good start. It’s great to hear the people who actually do have the privilege and the wherewithal to make it there, but your obligation extends well beyond that.”<\/p>\n FWISD has faced upheaval in the past year since it became clear Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath would intervene<\/a> and remove elected trustees from power. However, parent Taylor Duncan said she sees this as a moment when appointed leadership can build trust with parents and other community members.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aWe have a real opportunity to work together \u2014 the board, the district, and the community \u2014 to get our schools back on track for the city of Fort Worth,\u201d said Duncan, president of the Daggett Elementary PTA. \u201cI believe that our community wants that. We’re asking the board to engage and let us help.\u201d<\/p>\n Disclosure: FWISD manager Pete Geren leads the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. FWISD manager Laurie George is a member of the Report\u2019s reader advisory council. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @_jacob_sanchez<\/a>.<\/p>\n This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/21\/can-fwisd-rebuild-trust-after-takeover-parents-see-opportunity-in-new-listening-sessions\/”>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&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n <img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&post=619302&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/21\/can-fwisd-rebuild-trust-after-takeover-parents-see-opportunity-in-new-listening-sessions\/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } <\/script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js”><\/script>
\nJune 24 at Southwest High School.
\nJune 25 at Benbrook Middle-High School.
\nJune 29 at Paschal High School.
\nJune 30 at Dunbar High School.<\/p>\n