How a 2015 law paved the way for the state’s takeover of Fort Worth ISD
Fort Worth woke up to major education news Thursday, Oct. 23: the Texas Education Agency is taking over the Fort Worth Independent School District.
The decision marks one of the largest school district interventions in Texas, after years of state monitoring tied to student performance and leadership issues.
While the word “takeover” can sound alarming, it’s part of a process outlined in state law when a district doesn’t meet performance standards.
Here’s what to know about what a TEA takeover is and what the law says about it.
What does a state takeover mean for a school district?
A takeover means the Texas Education Agency, also known as the TEA, steps in to take charge of how a district is run.
In most cases, that means replacing the elected school board with a board of managers and sometimes naming a new superintendent, according to the Texas Education Code.
The state appoints a board of managers to oversee finances, academics and leadership until the district shows enough progress for local control to return.
Schools themselves do not close. Students will still go to the same campuses, teachers will still teach and buses will still run.
What changes is who makes the final decisions behind the scenes. The goal is to correct the issues that led to the state stepping in.
What laws give the state of Texas this power?
Texas law spells out when the state can step in if a school district struggles for too long to meet academic or leadership standards.
The current system was created through a series of laws over the past decade.
- House Bill 1842, passed in 2015, gave the Texas Education Agency authority to step in when a campus keeps failing to meet state expectations year after year. It also created what’s called a “turnaround plan,” which gives the district a chance to make improvements before the state takes over.
- Senate Bill 1365, passed in 2021, clarified how the state measures academic performance. It also made sure that a “Not Rated” year, like during the pandemic, does not break the streak of consecutive failing ratings that could lead to state intervention.
- The Texas Education Code, chapter 39A, explains that if a campus receives failing ratings for five years in a row, the state commissioner must either close that campus or appoint a new board of managers to oversee the entire district.
- House Bill 3, passed in 2023, focused on school safety. It allows the state to assign a conservator if a district does not meet required safety standards.
Has this happened before in Texas?
Yes. The most recent and well-known example is Houston ISD, which was taken over in 2023 after years of low-performing campuses and leadership concerns.
The state replaced the elected board with a board of managers and named a new superintendent. Houston ISD remains under state management as of 2025.
Other districts, such as El Paso ISD and Beaumont ISD, have also gone through takeovers.
In those cases, the state eventually returned control to local boards once the districts showed consistent improvement.
Why is Fort Worth ISD being taken over?
A district can be taken over if it does not meet academic, financial or leadership standards for several years in a row.
In Fort Worth’s case, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said the district had shown “continual academic deficiencies” and a “failure of governance” that led to the state’s intervention, according to his letter to the district.
Under the state’s accountability system, the Texas Education Agency looks at test scores, graduation rates and other measures of student success to evaluate district performance.
If schools continue to receive failing ratings or if a district does not comply with state requirements, the agency can order a takeover to get things back on track.
What happens next for Fort Worth ISD?
Morath will appoint a board of managers made up of Fort Worth residents, according to the agency’s governance intervention guidelines.
The TEA will also name a superintendent to lead the district during the transition. Current trustees will lose their voting authority but may continue to serve in advisory roles.
The board of managers will govern until the TEA determines that the district has made sustainable improvements in academics, finances and leadership.
How long could the takeover last?
There is no set timeline for how long a takeover can last. The TEA will monitor the district’s progress and determine when it has met enough improvement goals to regain control.
In other districts, takeovers have lasted anywhere from three to seven years, depending on how quickly the district addressed the state’s concerns.
How can I stay informed?
The TEA posts updates about district interventions on its official website.
Parents and community members can also attend public meetings once the board of managers is in place and share feedback through district communication channels.
Fort Worth ISD is expected to release more details about leadership changes and community involvement opportunities in the coming weeks.
