Lake Worth ISD Superintendent Dr. Mark Ramirez said the struggling district must move forward following the announcement of a TEA takeover.
LAKE WORTH, Texas — Lake Worth ISD Superintendent Dr. Mark Ramirez highlighted academic progress during a school board meeting Monday night, earning a standing ovation from the audience, even as the district prepares for a state takeover ordered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
Ramirez presented improvements in student performance, including a drop in the number of students testing in the ‘low’ achievement category from 41% to 28% over the past year. The district has also implemented a new instructional framework during Ramirez’s first six months on the job.
Despite those gains, last Thursday, the TEA announced it would assume control of the district.
“We must and will accept this decision,” Ramirez said during the meeting. “It’s been a challenging week since we heard the news, but let’s move forward for our students.”
State law requires the TEA to intervene after one of the district’s campuses, Miller Language Academy, received a failing accountability rating for five consecutive years. Five of Lake Worth ISD’s six campuses are currently rated failing, according to the agency.
“I’m disappointed in the decision, but I accept the decision the TEA made,” Ramirez said.
The TEA’s takeover will replace the elected school board with a state-appointed board of managers, appoint a conservator, and lead to the selection of a new superintendent. Timelines for those changes have not yet been announced.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has said the district’s performance left the state with no other option.
“What we want to see in Lake Worth is no more failing campuses, period,” Morath said.
Morath visited Lake Worth in October and has described the district’s challenges as longstanding. In a letter to the district, he cited a chronic inability to support students in learning and achieving at high levels.
Some teachers and parents told trustees they believe progress is underway and worry a state takeover could disrupt that momentum.
“This school year, I’ve seen a shift. A path toward improvement,” said Katrina Lemond, a third-grade teacher in the district. “I believe in what we do here.”
Ramirez didn’t confirm whether district leaders plan to appeal the TEA’s decision. Trustees are scheduled to make their case to the agency during a hearing in Austin on Friday.
“I don’t know if they’ll appeal, but they’re going to make a case for what we’ve done and the positive changes we’ve seen,” Ramirez said.
Lake Worth ISD is the second district in Tarrant County to face a state takeover this year, following Fort Worth ISD. While district leaders say they respect the TEA’s decision, Ramirez emphasized that his focus remains on students as the process moves forward.
“I believe in this district,” he said.
If the TEA determines the district’s improvements are not sufficient, the state takeover will proceed as planned.