With collapsing test scores and the recent resignation of Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Angelica Ramsey, Fort Worth ISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Karen C. Molinar, admitted that the district is in a crisis.
“We are definitely in a crisis. For me, it’s ‘do something now,” Molinar said at a recent forum hosted by the Fort Worth Report.
“We have to intervene,” Molinar said, per FWR. “But we can’t only be in intervention mode. … We have to work the system. We have to plan and strategize.”
Molinar became the interim superintendent in October after the school board voted 8-1 to accept Superintendent Ramsey’s resignation. Ramsey failed to improve scores and was lambasted by teachers for dysfunctional bus transportation for students.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the school district only saw 32% of its students score at grade level on the STAAR exam during the 2021-2022 school year. According to an analysis by the Fort Worth Education Partnership, only 6% of students met grade-level standards at one economically disadvantaged school.
Across all subjects in the Spring 2024 STAAR tests, 3 out of 4 students in the district did not meet grade level, per FWR.
“Literacy is essential for a healthy, safe, prosperous and growing city,” former Congressman Pete Geren said. “I don’t care if you’re most concerned about public safety or you’re most concerned about the workforce. It all starts with literacy.”
Molinar has launched a Transformation, Innovation, and Accountability Division, which will provide professional development for teachers and specific intervention for struggling students, providing tailored support to schools based on data.
“It’s emotional, but what’s the outcome for our students?” Molinar said. “Remember, when we make these decisions about school closures and consolidations, we’re planning for students who aren’t even born yet.”
Fort Worth ISD Board President Roxanne Martinez said that facilitating change will require the support of the whole community.
“We need everyone on board. The work starts at home, before a child ever steps foot on campus. But, it’s our job to meet families where they are and provide the resources they need,” Martinez said, reported FWR.
Some local leaders believe that the failing record from school districts like Fort Worth ISD makes the case for school choice.
“Fort Worth is one of the best cities in the nation. It has so much rich history and real beauty. The potential is endless. Which is why it is so sad we have one of the worst-performing school districts in the state. I recently read that 0% of 7th graders are on grade level for math. What a disservice to our kids and a blight on our city. The competition school choice will bring is the quickest and easiest way to force our schools to reprioritize educating kids,” Tarrant County Republican Party Chairman Bo French told The Dallas Express.