{"id":389150,"date":"2025-11-19T04:52:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T04:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/389150\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T04:52:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T04:52:16","slug":"trustees-fighting-fwisd-takeover-cite-need-for-deeper-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/389150\/","title":{"rendered":"Trustees fighting FWISD takeover, cite need for deeper review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fort Worth school trustees are appealing Texas\u2019 takeover<\/a> of the city\u2019s largest district.<\/p>\n

FWISD board members voted Tuesday evening to challenge Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath\u2019s decision to take control of the 67,500-student district.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Board President Roxanne Martinez described the move as a way to have a deeper review of the facts surrounding the state intervening in FWISD. Trustees see a way for state and local leaders to work together for students, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to work with the state,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cWe want to support students. Our priority is on students and improving student outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The vote was 7-1. Trustee Kevin Lynch was the sole dissenter. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Factual and legal considerations warrant a further review of Morath\u2019s decision, Martinez said. She declined to go into specifics, but trustees will share more at a later time, she said.<\/p>\n

FWISD\u2019s appeal will go through a limited, fast-tracked legal process with the State Office of Administrative Hearings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court only decides whether the commissioner had enough evidence to justify the decision.<\/p>\n

An administrative law judge must issue a final ruling within 30 days after hearing the challenge. That ruling cannot be appealed.<\/p>\n

Morath took control of FWISD on Oct. 23<\/a> after the now-closed Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade<\/a> posted five consecutive F grades under the state\u2019s academic accountability ratings that are largely based on STAAR results.<\/p>\n

In late October, trustees met with Morath<\/a> at the Texas Education Agency\u2019s headquarters in Austin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FWISD trustees argued then that the state<\/a> didn\u2019t pause sanctions for a campus failing standards under provisions in Texas law that allowed for them, according to a letter from Morath. They also made the case that the district was heading in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Texas law requires the commissioner to take over a district if a school fails the accountability ratings five consecutive years or to close that failing campus. FWISD officials had already closed the school that triggered the state law.<\/p>\n

Last week, TEA Deputy Commissioner Steve Lecholop told Fort Worth residents the district faces widespread academic issues across the entire system<\/a> based on students\u2019 STAAR performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite what many are saying, over time, the district has not actually improved outcomes for kids,\u201d Lecholop said.<\/p>\n

Morath appointed Christopher Ruszkowski as FWISD\u2019s conservator. Ruszkowski, a former New Mexico secretary of education, will monitor district operations and ensure academic improvement while those appointments are finalized. A conservator will remain in place for the entirety of the state\u2019s intervention.<\/p>\n

Ruszkowski attended his first FWISD board meeting Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @_jacob_sanchez<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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