FWISD Superintendent Peter Licata leaned down and placed his hands on his knees to help a Morningside Middle School student connect to the internet.
The seventh grader’s laptop wouldn’t load her English assignment. Refresh. Nothing. Then it appeared.
“It was three minutes — three minutes of good instructional time lost and then she gets rushed,” Licata said in a hushed tone in the classroom.
Moments like that, routine classroom delays, are what Fort Worth ISD’s new state-appointed superintendent says must change quickly. Students don’t have time to waste, he said. Yet he needs time for changes — from bolstering campus leaders to better support their teachers to rethinking the district’s nearly $1 billion budget.
“It’s going to take a while to correct the system,” Licata said Friday as he walked around Morningside, a campus slated for a new academic turnaround model. “But we don’t have time.”
New Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Peter Licata greets students at Morningside Middle School on March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)
The visit was one of the first looks at how Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath’s hand-selected leader is approaching classrooms just four days on the job.
Morath picked Licata for leading Broward County Public Schools to its first A in 14 years and eliminated D and F campuses.
Licata walked into a C district where 63 campuses improved in 2025 academic accountability ratings but which still has 39 D and F schools, including two middle schools teetering on triggering the state’s intervention law.
The state intervened in October after more than a decade of low academic performance, with only about a third of students performing on grade level in reading and math.
Improving outcomes will require urgency and a shift in expectations, Licata said. Poverty is not destiny. ZIP codes do not dictate students’ future. Success is possible.
“That expectation when that kid walks in the classroom is as high as for every kid in the district,” Licata said.
School board President Pete Geren has long seen Fort Worth ISD’s stubbornly low academic performance, particularly in literacy, as a moral failing. Licata shares that view.
“He has a passion for the children who are the most economically disadvantaged,” Geren said of the new superintendent. “He’s a kid-focused, student-outcomes kind of person.”
Exit criteria: What FWISD must do to regain elected control
The state-appointed board of managers and superintendent must meet specific benchmarks set by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath before Fort Worth ISD can return to an elected school board.
Those requirements include:
- No multiyear failing campuses: The district must eliminate campuses with repeated unacceptable ratings under the state’s academic accountability system.
- Academic performance above average: Reading and math performance must be higher than state or regional averages.
Governance standards met: The school board must meet the agency’s developed governance model — meaning it sets clear, measurable goals, tracks progress and holds the superintendent accountable for improving student outcomes.
Growth in first year
In Sherea Williams’ seventh-grade classroom, Licata watched the student’s laptop slowly load her assignments. Such moments, he said, add up.
“If they are not exposed to grade-level material, they’re never going to get there,” he said. “They have to have grade-level material.”
As students submitted their assignments, Licata and Louis Kushner — whom Licata brought from Broward County to serve as the district’s new chief of staff — explained that Williams can immediately see how those students performed.
Students take an English assessment at Morningside Middle School on March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)
They emphasized the need for real-time data and immediate feedback — allowing teachers to adjust lessons on the spot rather than waiting days or weeks. While some of this was in place during former Superintendent Karen Molinar’s tenure, it needs to be more consistent, they said.
“As soon as she submits that assignment, it’s going to give her a grade,” Kushner said.
When technology slows instruction, Licata signaled changes could include shifting away from devices.
“Sometimes, we’re going to go to a lot more paper,” Licata said, especially for elementary students.
In his first year, Licata said he hopes to see a 5- to 10-percentage-point improvement in student proficiency.
“If you shoot for 10-percentage-point growth, and get it, phenomenal,” Licata said.
Licata’s five pillars
Superintendent Peter Licata has five tenants he will use to guide Fort Worth ISD. He calls them his pillars, and they will be displayed within the school board meeting room.
“Nothing is more important than children achieving academic success,” Licata said. “Every pillar falls behind that.”
The pillars are:
- Children are learning and achieving academic success.
- Teachers are equipped with the right lessons, materials and support.
- Ensure teachers are paid well.
- Students graduate FWISD prepared for college and a career of their choice.
- Reallocate dollars to support students.
Culture change
Gains depend on aligning grade-level lessons across the district, strengthening teacher support and holding campus leaders accountable for instruction.
He outlined a culture change across the district — one centered on academic expectations, consistent instruction and coaching.
“We always blame the teacher,” he said. “We’re going to do that in reverse. We’re going to look at the adults and the leadership.”
Not everyone is convinced.
Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association, said teachers are looking for specifics about classroom changes as anxiety runs high.
“You can tell the teachers all day long what you plan to do,” Poole said. “But until you actually put it into action, they need to see it and not just hear it.”
Neighboring school districts are actively recruiting Fort Worth ISD teachers, Poole added. Castleberry ISD, for example, is touting local control as a selling point for prospective teachers.
Licata acknowledged that some educators may leave, but said his goal is to retain teachers by improving support and working conditions.
“Teachers, fear not,” he said. “You’re going to be supported.”
He pointed to potential changes in compensation and additional staffing at struggling campuses as ways to strengthen classrooms and possibly bring back teachers who left.
But for many educators, Poole said, it’s not just about the salary.
“It’s also the working conditions,” he said.
‘Work even harder’
Molinar advised her successor to build up relationships across Fort Worth.
“When you take the time to build the relationships, you’ll fall more and more in love with this city — then you’re going to want to work even harder,” Molinar said in early March.
New Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Peter Licata greets bus drivers during a walk-through at Morningside Middle School on March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)
Licata recognized the momentum ignited by Molinar and plans to carry many of her student-center reforms forward. She deserves credit when this spring’s STAAR results are released, he said.
Although he will be superintendent when those grades come out, he said, “we know, whether it’s better or worse, Dr. Molinar and her team own that, and that’s the way it should be.”
For Licata, the stakes are clear. Maintaining the status quo is not an option, he said.
“No one cheers for that,” Licata said. “That’s not winning.”
If students aren’t improving, Geren said the board of managers will push back.
“I’m confident in everyone holding the superintendent accountable for the goals we set for our kids,” Geren said.
Licata will continue visiting campuses in the coming weeks. As he does, he plans to refine his approach while moving quickly to make changes.
“It’s not about how bad Fort Worth is,” Licata said. “It’s about how great it can be, and it has not reached its potential.”
Peter Licata
Age: 61
Education:
- Doctor of philosophy in global leadership from Lynn University
- Master’s in education leadership from Barry University
- Bachelor’s in business administration and political science from the University of Miami
Experience:
- 2023-2024: Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools
- 1994-2023: Various roles for Palm Beach County Schools, including regional superintendent and teacher
Family: Married to Judy Licata. They have four children. He is a grandfather.
Disclosure: The Sid W. Richardson Foundation is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. FWISD manager Laurie George is a member of the Report’s reader advisory council. FWISD manager Courtney Lewis is a member of the Report’s business advisory council. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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