Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker discusses possible TEA takeover of Fort Worth ISD
Two weeks ago, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker won re-election to her third term with more than two out of every three votes.
Eye on Politics reporter Jack Fink asked her about the troubles facing Fort Worth ISD in a conversation with the mayor.
Fort Worth ISD academic performance
The Texas Education Agency notified Fort Worth ISD recently that it may take over district operations or close the Leadership Academy at Forest campus. The 6th grade school received its fifth consecutive "unacceptable" academic rating for the 2022–2023 school year.
Under Texas Education Code § 39A.111, five consecutive failing ratings trigger mandatory state intervention. The commissioner must either appoint a board of managers to oversee the district or order the closure of the campus.
In a letter to the district earlier this month, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath cited broader academic struggles across the district. Based on 2023 preliminary ratings, Fort Worth ISD received an overall grade of D, with 77 campuses rated D or F. The district has 147 schools. Eight campuses have failed to meet minimum academic standards since at least 2018, though the letter did not name them.
Mayor Parker discusses her concerns for the district
When asked how concerned she was regarding the district's performance, Mayor Parker responded, "Well, I'm concerned, and here's why. This will be a very critical time period for that ISD over the next several months."
"At the end of the day, the decision is Commissioner Morath's, and my allegiance is to the students and for the ISD, they deserve to have an A-rated campus across every single campus in the city of Fort Worth. We deserve to have one of the best school districts, not in just the state of Texas, but across the country. So, if Commissioner Morath decides that the only answer is to take over the district, I'll do whatever it takes to rally the support needed in this community to make that district successful. If his decision is actually to leave the ministration of the board in place, I'll do the exact same thing as I've said before."
When asked if Mayor Parker wanted the TEA Commissioner to take over, she stated she thinks a takeover would be "disruptive".
"But I want to be careful my words, because I do understand why someone in his position would feel the need to make that decision. I don't want anybody that's listening to this interview to mistake that. I also agree it's unacceptable. But I've also heard those same words and transparency from Doctor Karen Molinar, who has not been in the full-time leadership capacity of superintendent for that long, allowing her to lead the district forward."
Managing a growing Fort Worth population
Mayor Parker also spoke to Jack about the city of Fort Worth's surging population.
"We're focused on the things that matter most to voters across the city of Fort Worth," said Parker. "It's about quality of life for every single resident across all 350 miles in the city of Fort Worth. It's public safety, it's infrastructure, it's parks, it's our library system. And really, being smart about what it looks like to be the fastest growing large city in the country and be prepared for future growth but also take care of the residents across our city today."
Reports show that Fort Worth has already surpassed Austin as the fourth largest city in the state. When asked about balancing the quality of life with a surge in growth, Mayor Parker says understanding residents' current needs and experiences is important in preparing for the future.
"Being incredibly fair and focused across distributing the need across the entire city and all our council districts, all ten council districts across the city of Fort Worth, and then also takes coordination between state and federal partners."
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