Teachers, Fort Worth ISD leaders at odds over International Newcomer Academy
Teachers at International Newcomer Academy, the Fort Worth school district’s only school designated for immigrant and refugee students, are pleading for district leadership to keep it open as the school board prepares to vote on closing the campus at a meeting Tuesday evening.
The district first announced it was considering closing the academy two weeks ago during a private staff meeting with teachers and administrators at the school. At that meeting, Daniel Soliz, deputy superintendent and chief of schools, told teachers there was a comprehensive plan in place, but said he could not share specifics, according to several teachers who spoke to the Star-Telegram.
Teachers also said Soliz did not share a plan for what would happen to the kids who are enrolled at INA and what schools they would have to attend or what specialized instruction could look like.
In an interview with the Star-Telegram Monday, Superintendent Peter Licata said district leadership knows exactly which campus every student who is slated to return to INA for the 2026-27 school year would end up at if the board votes to close the school Tuesday. The closure would go into effect after the school year.
“Soliz couldn’t really answer any of our questions,” said Whitney Peters, a demonstration teacher at INA. “He kept alluding that there was a plan. That there was a plan for these kids but he couldn’t say any specifics. We kept asking him what that would look like.”
Licata said Monday that students at INA would be assimilated into other Fort Worth schools, and that other immigrant and early English language learners who are at other schools in the district are outperforming students at INA because they are exposed to more opportunities.
“I find it a civil rights issue because we’re not letting our children experience large campuses that offer electives that might interest them,” Licata said. “That might bring them into school more often, and might give them the reason to show up at school and be motivated by it. This is not easy. I visited the school the other day and walked in classrooms. There is great teaching going on, the principal is wonderful. But reality is, they’re not getting everything that we should be offering them.”
Peters and INA math teacher Jay Mata both said one of the main topics of discussion at the private staff meeting was a data chart that showed the percentage of INA students who are on grade level according to STAAR test results. The data presented showed INA year 0-2 emergent bilingual students significantly behind students not at INA over the last three school years.
Mata and other teachers said Soliz was unable to answer questions about how the chart was created, including grade levels and how many students were included in the data. Mata was also concerned about how the data failed to display how INA staff works with the lowest English proficiency students in the district — specifically those who are unschooled, and oftentimes refugees who have just entered the country. Those students cannot be compared to others in the district, Mata argued.
At a community listening session held by the district last week, Soliz did not present the data he showed at the staff meeting, and dozens of parents spoke during a public comment session to plead Soliz and other district leaders to keep the campus open. Parents, former INA students and community leaders were all present and spoke.
However, the data was still posted on INA’s webpage under a new tab called “April 21 Meeting” referencing the community listening session.
Licata and the district’s reasoning for closing the school stems from its inability to offer students at the campus the same educational experience as others.
“Closing a school is the toughest thing anyone will ever do,” Licata said. “But it’s not successful. Having multiple Ds and Fs, it is not providing an equitable outcome for students who aren’t exposed to maybe career choice classrooms or AP exams.”
Licata also made it clear that he never wants to blame teachers at a campus for underperforming results, but will instead do a better job leading and putting “leaders of the leaders” in position to make sure they are supporting teachers so they can be the ones making a difference in the classroom.
“I have a lot of academic, scholarly backing that says this isn’t great for kids,” Licata said. “It’s actually unfair to them, because they’re not exposed to other things. UCLA and Stanford have put out some of the most influential data on this. As long as we are providing the support in the schools. That’s the key. It’s not falling off the end of the earth. We’re pushing in and giving just as much, if not more support.”
Faith leaders petition for INA to remain open
Graydon Jones, a pastor at Antioch Church in Fort Worth, has organized a petition calling on faith leaders to “stand together” in support of INA students against the proposed closure. Jones found out about the vote to close INA after the Friends of Fort Worth Instagram page shared a Star-Telegram story detailing the possible vote.
Jones said the petition had almost 20 signatures from faith communities across several denominations as of Monday afternoon. He expected that number to grow a bit more before the board votes on the school closure Tuesday evening. A number of those leaders plan to speak during a public comment session during the meeting.
“After hearing about the proposal to close INA, our faith compels us to speak up,” the petition reads. “We believe that Fort Worth ISD is better because of our immigrant and refugee neighbors. We are honored by their presence, and INA plays an important role in providing community resources and unique training for immigrant students.”
Licata told the Star-Telegram he is confident that his plan to assimilate immigrant and refugee students in other existing schools across the district will be better for them in the long run, but he understands that people care deeply about INA. He hopes after Tuesday’s board meeting that people will have a better understanding of where he is coming from.
“I don’t know if they will be on board, but they will have a better frame,” Licata said. “Some folks have different feelings on why they’re there (at public comment.) Whether they’re part of the community, whether it’s for the kid who lives down the street, whether one of their spouses or they work for the school, they love that environment. It really is a neat environment, but it’s limited for children. It really is a neat environment, but it is limiting for children, and my job is to see the bigger picture.”
Fort Worth school district’s Board of Managers will vote on the future of INA at its Tuesday board meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at the district service center, 7060 Camp Bowie Blvd.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:23 AM.
