Fort Worth ISD plans to adopt turnaround model at these seven struggling schools
Officials in the Fort Worth Independent School District plan to adopt a school turnaround model that will give extra funding to seven low-performing campuses.
The district is facing the possibility of state takeover after years of lackluster academic progress. Now, Fort Worth ISD leaders say they will adopt the Texas Education Agency’s Resource Campus Model at a group of struggling schools next school year.
During a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Superintendent Karen Molinar announced the impacted campuses will be: Morningside Middle, William James Middle, Wedgwood Middle, Clifford Davis Elementary, West Handley Elementary, Western Hills Elementary and Western Hills Primary.
Morningside Middle will consolidate with a newly-constructed William James Middle after the 2028-29 school year. Molinar explained both campuses will adopt the new model in 2026-27 so there’s consistency when both groups of students transfer to one place.
The new model requires teachers and administrative staff to apply or reapply for positions at these schools so the district can recruit the best talent for students at the campuses, Molinar said. District officials were still in the process of notifying affected campuses Wednesday, but the news was leaked before the process was finished. Officials called the news conference as a result.
“Why am I announcing it now? Because I want to spend this entire 25-26 school year really recruiting and retaining the best talent for those campuses to put in front of our students,” Molinar said on Wednesday. “These are students who have been on these campuses for multiple years, some of them (have) an unacceptable campus rating, so they’re already behind. So it’s my responsibility, if I’m able to put the best teachers in front of them each day.”
The change is expected to be presented to the school board at its Sept. 23 meeting. The meeting agenda posted on Wednesday afternoon does not specifically note Resource Campus Model designations, but district officials said they will be discussed during a presentation from Molinar. The designations do not require board approval, according to district officials.
The Sept. 23 meeting will also include a vote on the controversial Bluebonnet reading curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grades, which has faced scrutiny for its inclusion of religious references. The board approved the phonics portion of the state curriculum in June. Molinar noted during the news conference that if the reading curriculum is approved, it would be implemented next school year.
“As you know, we adopted Bluebonnet math for this current school year (and) Bluebonnet phonics. We kept Amplify (reading curriculum) in place. However, Bluebonnet reading is actually an enhanced version of Amplify with a lot, lot stronger parent resources attached to it, and then also resources for our teachers, including some content videos, also some other resources to help them in preparation for lesson planning,” Molinar said. “We’re really trying to be proactive and get ahead of the 26-27 school year.”
“Roughly 2% of lessons include biblical references, always treated as literature — similar to myths, folktales and historical speeches. FWISD teaches literacy, not religion,” district officials said in a statement.
In a statement on Wednesday morning in reference to the Resource Campus Model., district leaders said struggling schools “deserve bold, urgent action to ensure every child has access to an excellent education.”
“This model is designed to replace the systems and conditions that have failed students for too long,” district leaders said. “FWISD will hold itself accountable for redesigning staffing, instruction delivery, and funding at these campuses to achieve the level of improvement our students need and deserve.”
Resource Campus Model offers extra money, turnaround plan
Texas lawmakers created the Resource Campus Model in 2021. Under the plan, campuses with at least three D or F ratings over the past 10 years can qualify for additional funding if they pledge to adopt a series of changes, including a lengthened school year, high-quality instructional materials and a strategic teacher compensation plan.
One component of the model, Accelerating Campus Excellence, is designed to flood underperforming schools with extra resources. Among other things, the plan offers top-performing teachers extra stipends to come to struggling schools. It also includes other features, like an extended school day and increased emphasis on reading and math.
The seven schools that are part of the plan also are among 15 campuses in Fort Worth ISD that have already added an extra month of class time this school year.
The model was pioneered by Dallas ISD, and district leaders there have said it was a part of a broader strategy that ultimately led to the district’s academic turnaround. Fort Worth ISD has already adopted the model at its Leadership Academy Network campuses, which it operates in partnership with Texas Wesleyan University.
Fort Worth ISD faces possible state takeover
Fort Worth ISD is facing the possibility of a state takeover after one of its campuses, the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade Center, received a fifth consecutive failure rating in the state’s 2023 A-F ratings, which were released last spring after a two-year court battle. The district has since closed the campus and merged it with nearby Forest Oak Middle School.
More recently, the district has been able to point to signs of academic progress. During a visit to Fort Worth ISD last month, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath acknowledged that progress, but said the district has performed too poorly for too long, and that major changes are needed.
Morath is expected to announce his decision in the coming months.
“I don’t have one day to waste,” Molinar said Wednesday. “I want to take an entire year to recruit, not just internally, but externally, the best teachers to be in front of my students in Fort Worth ISD, and whether I’m here or someone else takes my place for next school year ... I know I’m doing everything I can today to make sure they’re set up to have the best people in front of them.”
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
