The action followed years of low academic performance in the 3,200-student district, including five consecutive failing state academic accountability ratings at Marilyn Miller Language Academy, which triggered the intervention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s meeting was the first since the state\u2019s decision. It came amid uncertainty over how quickly control will be stripped from locally elected trustees and how long Ramirez, who has led the district since May, will remain in his role during the transition.<\/p>\n
Ramirez confirmed after the meeting that he will not be a candidate to remain superintendent<\/a> once the state appoints new leadership, a decision he said came from TEA.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m disappointed because of the work we\u2019ve started here,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n In a call with reporters last week, Morath did not explain why Ramirez would not be considered to remain as superintendent once the state installs new leadership. Instead, the commissioner praised Ramirez\u2019s short tenure in Lake Worth, calling him \u201ca very skilled leader\u201d who has made \u201cmany, many changes\u201d since arriving in May.<\/p>\n The district\u2019s elected trustees waited too long to make a leadership change, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf they had taken steps to bring Dr. Ramirez in five years ago, I highly doubt we\u2019d be having this conversation,\u201d Morath said.<\/p>\n Ramirez said he understands the decision, given the district\u2019s history, but wishes recent progress had more time to take hold.<\/p>\n Still, the educator used the meeting to highlight what he described as early signs of progress \u2014 and to correct what he said were outdated descriptions of the district\u2019s academic standing.<\/p>\n The district recently won an appeal to the Texas Education Agency related to 2025 accountability ratings, boosting Lake Worth High School\u2019s overall score from 69 to 79. That bumped the campus up from a D to a C.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI know it\u2019s been reported that every school in Lake Worth ISD is a D or F, but that\u2019s no longer the case,” Ramirez said.<\/p>\n The district\u2019s overall score also increased, Ramirez said, from 62 to 66 \u2014 not enough to change the district\u2019s letter grade but enough to matter symbolically, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does matter to this community,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re no longer the lowest-rated school district in North Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Facts are better than dreams\u2019<\/p>\n Ramirez framed his remarks around a phrase he repeated throughout the meeting: \u201cFacts are better than dreams.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He cited last year\u2019s STAAR results \u2014 which showed just 22% of students meeting grade-level expectations \u2014 as a key reason state intervention was triggered.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a number we excuse, we minimize or accept,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n He then pointed to middle-of-year testing data that shows the share of students meeting grade-level expectations increased from 22% to 38% over about 65 days of instruction. The percentage of students in the lowest achievement group dropped from 41% last year to 28% this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not yet where we intend to be,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cBut the facts are the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n District leaders logged more than 2,000 classroom visits so far this school year and vowed to keep expectations high as the transition unfolds, Ramirez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Katrina Lemond, a third grade teacher at Effie Morris S.T.E.A.M. Academy, urged the state to reconsider removing Ramirez before his work could take hold.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first time in many years, we have clear, actionable steps, aligned strategies and procedures that give our staff a structured path toward improvement,\u201d Lemond said. \u201cThe type of change our district needs cannot happen overnight and it cannot happen without consistent leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, who represents the Lake Worth area, praised Ramirez\u2019s leadership and encouraged parents, teachers and community members to make their voices heard during the transition.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the face of a TEA takeover and everything that\u2019s happening right now, which is incredibly difficult, it\u2019s really all about the students and seeing them succeed,\u201d Hall said. \u201cI\u2019m going to be putting my support behind whatever makes that happen in a timely and efficient manner.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramirez walked trustees through the six-page letter from the Texas Education Agency outlining next steps. The letter calls for:<\/p>\n The letter did not provide a firm timeline for when new leaders will be installed, Ramirez said, noting that some dates depend on whether the district appeals.\u00a0<\/p>\n The letter schedules an informal review for Dec. 19 in Austin with TEA leaders. The review will focus on the managers and conservator and will proceed \u201cwith or without Lake Worth ISD participation,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n The district plans to send Thomas and trustees Cindy Burt and Mac Belmontes to the meeting. Trustees will consider whether to appeal the intervention following that discussion with TEA officials, Ramirez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thomas said she plans to push back on the state\u2019s decision even as she acknowledges the law gives Morath broad authority.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t agree with the process, but I respect the law,\u201d she said. \u201cI will abide by their decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Her proposal reflects what she believes is best for students, even if it means surrendering local control, Thomas said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want every child in this school district to know that I fought to the end for them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ramirez said he will assist with the transition until a new superintendent is appointed, but his focus in the weeks ahead will remain on classrooms.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be in schools,\u201d he told the Report after the meeting. \u201cWe have to be visible. Even more so now.\u201d<\/p>\n During the meeting, he held up a keychain he said district leaders received earlier in the day, stamped with the number 3,177 as a reminder of how many students Lake Worth ISD serves.<\/p>\n \u201cOur task is simple: Stay focused, stay strong, and let\u2019s do what\u2019s right for these kids,\u201d he told attendees.<\/p>\n The room responded with a standing ovation from trustees and members of the audience.<\/p>\n Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1215-LakeWorthISD-11--1024x683.jpg\")
Lake Worth ISD Superintendent Mark Ramirez gives his update during a school board meeting on Dec. 15, 2025. Soon Ramirez will no longer lead Lake Worth ISD when Texas takes control of the district. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1215-LakeWorthISD-04--1024x683.jpg\")
State Board of Education member Brandon Hall walks to the back of the room after speaking during public comment at a Lake Worth ISD school board meeting on Dec. 15, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)
\nTrustees consider appeal options<\/p>\n\n