Houston ISD can provide a blueprint for Fort Worth ISD’s future after the Texas Education Agency announced Thursday the state will take over the district.
Why it matters: Just 34% of Fort Worth students are performing at grade level, lower than the percentage in other large districts, including Houston and Dallas.
The big picture: Fort Worth is now the second largest school district, after Houston ISD, to be taken over by the TEA. It’s the 11th state takeover since 2000.
- Houston ISD remains under TEA control until at least 2027.
The latest: An appointed board of managers will run FWISD in lieu of its elected school board, and state officials will select a conservator to track progress. The board will be made up of locals, TEA commissioner Mike Morath said in the letter to the district Thursday.
- Morath will also appoint a superintendent. The current district leader, Karen Molinar, will be considered for the role.
Zoom out: Houston’s schools are now performing better since the 2023 state takeover. The appointed superintendent, former Dallas superintendent Mike Miles, has been unpopular among teachers and parents.
- Miles implemented the New Education System, which uses a standardized curriculum, longer hours on campus, timed lessons and turning libraries into “Team Centers,” per the Houston Chronicle. The model was expanded into 130 campuses last school year.
- 197 of Houston’s 273 campuses earned A or B ratings this year, up from 93 with such ratings before the state takeover.
Friction point: Some HISD parents have complained the learning environment has become rigid and focused solely on test scores. And a Houston teachers union complained after Miles received a $173,660 bonus in September, saying the amount is far higher than any teacher’s yearly salary…