Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce urging community to support recent TEA takeovers
Members of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce are urging residents to support the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of Fort Worth school district, the organizations announced in a joint news release Wednesday.
The release comes after the groups visited schools in the Houston school district, which was taken over by the TEA in 2023, with state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles on Dec. 4 to learn more about how TEA intervention is impacting students and teachers in the district and how it could relate to the Fort Worth school district.
“The delegation observed that Houston ISD students are engaged, teachers are focused, and all adults — from the classroom to the superintendent — are being held accountable for student success,” the groups wrote in the joint news release.
The Fort Worth school district was taken over by the TEA in October, which means the school board will be replaced by a state-appointed board of managers and the TEA has the option to name a new superintendent as well. The state is accepting applications for its board of managers and Superintendent Karen Molinar is still in her role as the district appeals the takeover.
The Lake Worth school district was also just taken over by the state, and several parents and residents expressed doubt and skepticism about whether the TEA could effectively get the district back on track.
But the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce groups say they saw firsthand how Houston is headed in the right direction.
“The bold systemic changes led by Superintendent Miles are positively changing the trajectory of the lives of children,” the group wrote in the release. “Through similar decisive and bold leadership, we are encouraged that the Fort Worth community will rise to the occasion for this generational opportunity to help all students reach their potential.”
The takeover of the Fort Worth school district came after Forest Oak Sixth Grade Center received a fifth consecutive failing grade in the state’s A-F accountability ratings. When a campus receives five grades in a row, the state education commissioner must close the campus or take over the entire district.
“We are inspired by and appreciative of the thousands of educational leaders in Houston who are implementing new practices elevating the standards for all students,” the release reads. “We remain fully committed to supporting students, the district and new school leadership as our community works together to ensure academic performance improves for every student.”
