Fort Worth ISD bet on an Jacquet Middle School in the Stop Six community.
Two years later, the campus hasn鈥檛 improved.
The school board on March 28 unanimously agreed to end the district鈥檚 contract with . Fort Worth ISD and the charter operator mutually agreed to end their , which was originally scheduled to end in 2026.
Day-to-day operations of the school are scheduled to return on June 30 to Fort Worth ISD. As part of their agreement, to Phalen Leadership Academies to run the middle school.
Fort Worth ISD and Phalen Leadership Academies are planning to work together for a smooth transition of operations, according to a news release. Jacquet鈥檚 current principal, Chana Barrett, will continue to lead the campus.
"During this transition, FWISD remains focused on providing the support and resources the Jacquet community needs to finish this school year strong while also preparing for a successful 2023-2024 school year," Superintendent Ang茅lica Ramsey said in a statement.
The agreement between the district and Phalen Leadership Academies was possible because of Senate Bill 1882. The an outside entity, such as Phalen Leadership Academies, to turn around failing schools and infuse them with additional state funding.
four elementary schools and a middle school. The Wesleyan-operated campuses have seen consistent improvement since taking over in 2019.
has not been as fortunate. The Stop Six campus earned a 59 out of 100 on this year鈥檚 state accountability rating in 2022. In a normal year, that score would have resulted in an F. However, the Texas Education Agency labeled schools that would have earned D鈥檚 or F鈥檚 as not rated.
The last time Jacquet Middle School met state standards was in 2016 鈥� two years before the current A-F rating system was established.
Across all subjects, 17% of Jacquet students met grade level, according to the TEA. As a whole, 32% of Fort Worth ISD students met grade level in all subjects.
In October, Cheriece Overstreet, a Jacquet Middle School intervention specialist, told the Fort Worth Report her school needs so much work.
鈥淲e need an IEP, an individualized education plan, for Jacquet,鈥� she said at the time.
Jacquet Middle School has seen a , a factor that likely contributed to the school鈥檚 low academic performance. , according to a report from the Wallace Foundation, a New York City-based education research group.
Although Phalen Leadership Academies didn鈥檛 make the grade, the charter鈥檚 founder and CEO, Earl Phalen, wishes Jacquet Middle School nothing but the best.
鈥淲e continue to support Jacquet as they end the school year, and we look forward to the continued academic growth of the scholars,鈥� he said in a statement.
In May, Jacquet鈥檚 students will take the .
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or via . At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
