More than 100 employees of Fort Worth ISD had to resign and reapply to work at the district following the first phase of a reorganization plan put forward by district leaders to shore up the school system’s finances amidst declining student enrollment.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Superintendent Angélica Ramsey proposed cost-saving measures that would see the consolidation of several administrative responsibilities and the shedding of some redundancies within the Academics, Equity and Excellence, Innovation and Transformation, School Leadership, and Student Support Services departments.
The district informed some 111 employees that they were required to either resign, resign and retire, or resign and reapply to an available position at Fort Worth ISD, with the caveat that some administrative jobs would no longer exist.
Relatively high-level administrative positions have been done away with, affecting certain former directors, executive directors, senior deputies, and even assistant and associate superintendents.
Out of the 111 employees tapped by the district, all but five opted to reapply for a position at the district, according to the Fort Worth Report.
In a previous statement to The Dallas Express, Fort Worth ISD insisted that the reorganization would not affect rank-and-file teachers’ employment but would improve efficiency.
“The program change will be the first phase in the District’s transition to a District Service Center to better support students, families, and employees … The program change will create an alignment of accountability, communication, and expectations for student performance and support,” said the district.
Enrollment in Texas public schools has declined in recent years, leaving Fort Worth ISD and other North Texas school systems with significant budget deficits due to state funding for education being tied to individual student enrollment.
Big districts like Fort Worth ISD and Dallas ISD, school systems that have struggled for years to produce quality student outcomes, are increasingly facing competition from charters and private schools that some families find more attractive.
Last school year, both districts scored poorly on the annual STAAR exams, with only 41% of Dallas ISD students managing to score at grade level. For its part, Fort Worth ISD logged 32% for the same metric, according to the Texas Education Agency.
