{"id":233538,"date":"2025-09-17T09:56:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T09:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/233538\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T09:56:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T09:56:20","slug":"lake-worth-isd-charts-ambitious-goals-as-state-weighs-intervention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/233538\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake Worth ISD charts \u2018ambitious\u2019 goals as state weighs intervention"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facing possible state intervention<\/a>, Lake Worth ISD leaders said closing Marilyn Miller Language Academy is not feasible. Those elementary-age children have no other option if the failing school is shuttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no place for students to go,\u201d Superintendent Mark Ramirez said during Monday\u2019s meeting, referencing the district\u2019s two other failing elementary campuses.<\/p>\n

So the 3,200-student district turned to retired Dallas schools Superintendent Michael Hinojosa for guidance.<\/p>\n

\"(MariaRetired Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa speaks to the Lake Worth ISD board on Sept. 15, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Brought in with philanthropic support and familiar with Ramirez from their time in Dallas together, Hinojosa spoke at Monday night\u2019s Lake Worth ISD board meeting with urgency, as the Texas Education Agency weighs whether to appoint a board of managers or close Miller.<\/p>\n

\u201cA vision is a dream with a deadline,\u201d he told trustees, warning bold action is needed to improve chronically failing schools<\/a> across the district. \u201cAnd you\u2019re under the gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just 10 minutes later, trustees unanimously approved \u201cambitious\u201d goals aimed at boosting third grade reading and math performance, raising middle school passing rates and ensuring every campus earns at least a B rating by 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Texas Education Agency grades public schools on how well they are educating students, largely based on results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, tests.<\/p>\n

Ramirez acknowledged the high stakes. A June 3 letter from TEA officials required Lake Worth to submit campus turnaround plans. A Sept. 3 letter warned that if performance does not improve, the commissioner will appoint a board of managers or close Miller, which posted five consecutive F grades<\/a> on the state\u2019s academic accountability system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under Texas law, a campus that fails to meet state standards for five years triggers mandatory intervention. The commissioner must either order the school\u2019s closure or replace locally elected trustees with managers he appoints.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe children of Lake Worth ISD deserve better,\u201d the Sept. 3 letter reads. \u201cBold action is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other district campuses also face scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Of the district\u2019s six schools open last school year, five earned F\u2019s in the latest round of the state\u2019s academic accountability system.<\/p>\n

Effie Morris Early Learning Academy, which closed in May, and N.A. Howry STEAM Academy submitted turnaround plans this summer, but TEA required revisions according to the letter. Updated plans must be resubmitted by Sept. 23. Lake Worth officials must submit plans for Lucyle Collins Middle School and Marine Creek Leadership Academy by Nov. 14.<\/p>\n

For now, Lake Worth\u2019s only option is to show steady, measurable growth in classrooms across the district, Ramirez said.<\/p>\n

The board\u2019s adopted goals are challenging but necessary, President Armando Velazquez told the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n

Trustees set targets designed to measure progress over the next three years, including:<\/p>\n