Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath visited a second Tarrant County school district that’s at risk of a state takeover due to consecutive years of low academic performance.
Morath spoke with district leadership, observed classrooms and addressed the media on Tuesday at Lucyle Collins Middle School in the Lake Worth Independent School District as he weighs two different paths for state intervention. Morath could decide to either replace the Lake Worth ISD school board with an appointed board of managers or to close the district’s Miller Language Academy, which saw five consecutive years of failed A-F accountability ratings from the state and triggered the potential takeover as a result.
Morath is also determining similar courses of action for the Fort Worth Independent School District. Fort Worth ISD’s Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade campus received its fifth failed rating earlier this year after the release of 2023 ratings that were delayed due to a lawsuit. The district already closed the campus in 2023, though, making Fort Worth ISD’s situation a unique one.
Morath on Tuesday said a decision on Lake Worth ISD is coming “in a few months.” He’s expected to make a decision on Fort Worth ISD by the end of the calendar year after visiting the district in late August…