Texas Education Agency notifies Fort Worth ISD of potential state takeover
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath notified officials in the Fort Worth Independent School District that the district is at risk of a state takeover after a single campus received five consecutive failure ratings.
Forest Oak 6th Grade Center received an F rating in the state’s 2023 A-F accountability scores, which were released last month after being tied up in court for two years. It was the campus’ fifth consecutive failure rating. That threshold triggers a provision in state law that requires the state education commissioner either to shut the campus down or remove the district’s school board and replace it with a state-appointed board of managers.
But Fort Worth ISD closed Forest Oak 6th last year after years of declining enrollment and combined it with Forest Oak Middle School.
In a letter dated Monday, Morath formally notified Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar and school board President Roxanne Martinez of the possibility of a state takeover. The fact that the district has already closed Forest Oak 6th Grade Center “has no bearing on, and does not abrogate, the compulsory action the statute requires the commissioner to take,” Morath wrote.
All A-F scores are considered preliminary until they’re finalized in August, and districts have a right to appeal. Morath said any decision about the district’s future would come after that point. Assuming the campus’ rating remains unchanged after an appeal, it remains unclear whether state law leaves the commissioner with any alternative other than placing the district under a board of managers. A TEA spokesman declined to comment on that question Monday afternoon.
The law also would allow Morath to replace the district’s superintendent.
Morath pointed out that Forest Oak 6th wasn’t the only campus in Fort Worth ISD that struggled in the 2023 ratings. The district had a D rating overall, and 77 campuses had a D or F rating. Morath called on district leaders to take aggressive action to improve student achievement.
“I know of no school system leader, be it a school board member or a superintendent, who doesn’t possess a desire for our students to thrive,” Morath wrote. “But if that desire does not translate into student learning, the only moral response is to change practices. It is critical that District leadership take aggressive action to improve the academic lives of students in Fort Worth ISD, immediately. I will be evaluating the operations and leadership of Fort Worth ISD more closely in the coming months and, if forced to make a decision under TEC § 39A.111, will do so after ratings become final.”
In a statement Monday, a Fort Worth ISD spokesperson said the district plans to appeal the rating.
“More importantly, we remain focused on bold, strategic action to implement a restructured literacy and math curriculum framework that includes targeted training, high quality instructional materials and systemwide implementation,” the statement read. “Together as a team we are committed to equipping teachers with the resources they need and ensuring students receive consistent, high-impact instruction that accelerates learning and academic growth.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 3:21 PM.
