Former Mayor Betsy Price says she no longer has confidence in Fort Worth superintendent
Former Mayor Betsy Price said she no longer has confidence in Fort Worth school district Superintendent Kent Scribner.
Speaking at a campaign event Wednesday night, Price pointed to statistics showing less than 33% of urban school districts have third-graders reading at grade level. Without citing a source, she said 24% of Fort Worth school district third-graders read at grade level.
The 2018-19 STAAR reading test — the last one before the pandemic — showed 34% of the district’s third-graders made grade level. The same test for 2020-21 showed 26% of the district’s third-graders made grade level. The number statewide fell from 45% to 39%. Educators attribute this dip to pandemic related learning loss.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Kent isn’t here in a few months,” Price said.
She praised the work of nonprofit Read Fort Worth, which she helped form in 2016 to work with the school district to improve reading. Despite the lagging scores, Price said in a phone interview the nonprofit was never meant to completely solve the problem.
“I’m afraid the schools would have been in much worse shape if we hadn’t had them helping,” Price said.
Emails and phone messages left at the district for Scribner were not returned. School board president Tobi Jackson said she could not comment on personnel matters.
Studies from the Annie E. Casey Foundation have tied third-grade reading proficiency to high school graduation rates.
“Up till third grade you learn to read. After third grade, you read to learn,” Price said.
Fort Worth’s reading scores have consistently been below the state average.
Price said the slim passage of the recent school bond to provide funds to renovate middle schools should be a wake up call to the school board. Voters rejected three other proposals.
Price, a Republican, is running for Tarrant County judge.
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 4:41 PM.
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