NAACP shares its take on the state takeover of Fort Worth ISD
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A local civil rights organization has welcomed the new state-appointed Board of Managers and superintendent for the Fort Worth Independent School District and issued a call for a focus on educational equity.
The Fort Worth Tarrant County Branch of the NAACP said in a prepared statement that it viewed the appointments with “optimism and urgency.”
“Current academic outcomes, particularly for African American students, reflect a profound and longstanding inequity that must be addressed with intentional, student-centered action,” the statement said. “When fewer than half of African American students are reading at grade level, this is not merely an academic concern — it is a civil rights issue that demands bold leadership, accountability, and systemic reform.”
According to state accountability test results, 51% of African American third-graders in the district did not meet grade level in reading in 2023. The number was 55% in 2024 and 42% in 2025. For African American eighth-graders, 49% did not meet grade level in reading in 2023. The number was 50% in 2024 and 45% in 2025.
The NAACP statement says the organization expects the newly appointed leaders to focus on children, equity, and measurable outcomes. This includes “dismantling policies and practices that have contributed to underperforming schools, prioritizing literacy and academic achievement, and ensuring that resources, support, and opportunities are equitably distributed across the district.”
The organization said it wants to collaborate with district leadership, educators, families, and community partners to help further academic achievement for all students.
“We are very heartened to see the shared sense of urgency and commitment to improving student outcomes from the Fort Worth Tarrant County branch of the NAACP,” said Board of Managers vice president Courtney Lewis in a prepared statement. “Our mission is to become the best school district in the state, with an excellent school for every single student, regardless of their ZIP code. As a board, we hope they will continue to hold Fort Worth ISD accountable for providing every child the education they deserve.”
The new superintendent, Peter Licata, and the Board of Managers began leading the district immediately after their appointments were announced by the Texas Education Agency on March 24.
The threat of a state takeover began when Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade received its fifth consecutive F grade in the state’s yearly accountability ratings. That triggered a Texas law that allows the state to either take over the entire district or close the campus that received the F ratings. The district had already closed the campus.
In January 2025, the school district passed a resolution declaring literacy its top priority. A strategic plan was also approved at the board meeting, calling for the percentage of third-graders reading at grade level to steadily increase over the next five years, with 50% meeting grade-level standards on the state test by 2029.
The plan also included an early-stage literacy plan for the district, including developing a district-wide framework for how schools handle literacy instruction, aligning budgets and school resources behind literacy priorities, and monitoring students’ progress.
Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, which helps parents advocate for their children in Fort Worth ISD, said literacy is the foundation to excel in other school subjects. She agrees with the NAACP that there should be an equitable focus for all students, especially students of color and those who are underperforming and underresourced.
“If our kids are successful in being able to read, then that correlates to them being successful adults to read applications, to read contracts, to just being able to read pieces of material that will help them in everyday life,” Dorsey-Hollins told the Star-Telegram.
