Fort Worth ISD to hold listening sessions to guide improvement goals. Here’s where
The Fort Worth Independent School District’s Board of Managers will hold a series of listening sessions at campuses across the district this summer to hear parent and community feedback as the board creates improvement goals.
The listening sessions will be the first in a continuous series, according to the district. Superintendent Peter Licata and Board of Managers Chair Pete Geren have repeatedly vowed to increase transparency with the community regarding district decisions since they were appointed to their roles as part of the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of Fort Worth ISD.
“Community feedback is a vital part of the success of Fort Worth ISD and the Board of Managers is prioritizing that feedback this summer,” the district wrote in a social media post. “Community members and families can choose to attend any of the sessions that fits their schedule.”
The Board of Managers will begin its summer series with the following listening sessions:
- Monday, June 22 at 5:30 p.m.: Northside High School
- Wednesday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m.: Southwest High School
- Thursday, June 25 at 5:30 p.m.: Benbrook Middle-High School
- Monday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m.: Paschal High School
- Tuesday, June 30 at 5:30 p.m.: Dunbar High School
The Board of Managers is also holding a board workshop at 5 p.m. on June 17 to go over the community listening schedule and script before heading to the schools to hear directly from the community.
Since the TEA’s takeover of Fort Worth ISD because of poor academic performance, state-appointed district leaders have spoken at length about their hopes to create a more transparent experience for parents and the community. They removed the previous time limit rule at public comment sessions during board meetings when more than 20 speakers are signed up. The district also held a listening session at International Newcomer Academy days before the Board of Managers voted on whether to close the campus.
Despite overwhelming pushback at the listening session and beyond, the board still unanimously voted to close the International Newcomer Academy.
Licata and the state-appointed board’s tenure so far has been met largely with mixed reviews across Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Despite a pointed effort to improve transparency, a large group of regular board meeting attendees see it differently.
“We have seen the term ‘radical transparency’ used by this board,” said Keith Ennis, a Fort Worth ISD parent, to the board during an April public comment session. “Answering our questions and holding to those answers is my definition of radical transparency.”
In the weeks after its first meeting, the Board of Managers changed it meeting times from 5 to 5:30 p.m. to allow parents more time to arrive after work, added links to supporting documents that better explain agenda items and gave public commenters more time to speak at board meetings.
More listening session dates are expected to be announced at additional campuses later this summer.
Editor’s note: Pete Geren is the president and chief executive officer of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, which is a funder of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. The Star-Telegram retains independence in all coverage decisions.
