No failing schools. Increases by nearly 20 percentage points in third-grade reading and math proficiency. Reduced chronic absenteeism and increased public engagement. All by 2029.
Those are some of the 24 goals outlined in Fort Worth ISD鈥檚 , which the school board discussed 鈥� and unanimously approved 鈥� during its Jan. 21 meeting. The plan aims to reshape the district鈥檚 approach to student achievement, family engagement, employee retention and operational efficiency for the next four years, according to the draft.
鈥淲e have to hold ourselves accountable for changing the actions that need to take place all the way down to a classroom,鈥� interim Superintendent Karen Molinar told district trustees and community members during the meeting.
The roadmap is more than a year in the making. Trustees launched the process in August 2023 and initially planned to approve it in April 2024. But progress stalled, and former Superintendent Ang茅lica Ramsey didn鈥檛 present a draft to trustees until July 2024.
Tuesday鈥檚 vote marked a turnaround from last summer, when the board of the plan in a 5-2 vote. At the time, trustees cited concerns about transparency, insufficient public engagement and the absence of two trustees as their reasons for striking it down.
Public feedback 鈥� gathered through more than 3,700 survey responses and advisory committee meetings 鈥� became a cornerstone of this draft, Molinar said.
She emphasized the urgency of adopting the plan now.
鈥淭he district strategic plan is our plan,鈥� Molinar said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our anchor. Every board meeting, every workshop should go back to one of the priorities in the strategic plan.鈥�
Primary goal: Raise literacy rates
At the core of the plan are four priorities, each with measurable objectives and strategies aligned to ensure progress.
The district鈥檚 primary focus is on closing achievement gaps for all students 鈥� particularly for Black and bilingual students 鈥� while bolstering early literacy and numeracy, according to the plan.
But it all starts with literacy, Molinar said. In spring 2024, 32% of district third graders met grade level in reading. That鈥檚 not good enough, Molinar said, nor is it anywhere near where the district wants to be. Before the Jan. 21 meeting began, Molinar, trustees and city leaders as the foundation for student success. During the meeting, trustees also approved a literacy resolution outlining the five steps the district plans to take to improve literacy.
鈥淲e have to fill the foundation in literacy that will impact math, that will impact science, that will impact social studies,鈥� Molinar said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e first going to work on literacy. After we build that foundation in literacy, then our math will mirror that, our social studies, our science.鈥�
By 2029, Molinar wants at least half of third graders in the district reading on grade level. By that same year, her goal is for at least half of district third graders to meet grade level standards in math.
鈥淲e have to lay that strong foundation,鈥� Molinar said. 鈥淏ut, as we鈥檙e laying that foundation, we can鈥檛 ignore our students who have already passed that foundation. We will focus on accelerated growth.鈥�
Investments in student engagement, teacher training
While the plan focuses on students struggling to meet standards, it also aims to push successful students to even higher levels of achievement. No student should fall through the cracks, Molinar said.
鈥淲e already have African American students who are succeeding,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur goal is to push them further 鈥� beyond 鈥榤eets鈥� and into 鈥榤asters.鈥欌��
Trustee Camille Rodriguez said she thinks the district could do even better by 2029.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not good enough for half our students to be meeting standards,鈥� Rodriguez said. 鈥淚t needs to be a lot higher. It doesn鈥檛 matter what the state numbers are. This is Fort Worth ISD. I know we鈥檙e going to have many conversations about our targets, and I foresee them being increased by a lot. We can reach for the stars.鈥�
Another focus of the plan is on student engagement and creating stronger partnerships with parents and local organizations, using tools like the Parent Portal 鈥� where guardians can check grades, report cards and student schedules 鈥� and activity fairs to engage families.
This could go a long way toward reducing chronic absenteeism, Molinar said. Expanding wraparound services for those families and encouraging volunteer participation within such services are central to this effort, according to the plan.
鈥淲e cannot continue to hold families at arm鈥檚 length and expect them to partner with us in literacy,鈥� parent and former Fort Worth ISD teacher Amanda Inay said during the public comment portion of the meeting.
The district soon plans to provide training programs for parents on student progress tools along with data to help them track their child鈥檚 academic growth, according to the plan.
And, to ensure students are supported by highly qualified educators, the plan outlines investments in teacher mentorship programs, leadership training and competitive compensation packages.
These efforts are critical to improving teacher retention and providing classrooms with the consistent, high-quality instruction students need, Molinar said.
鈥淗igh-quality teachers and leaders can change a campus around, and we see that on a daily basis,鈥� Molinar said. 鈥淲e want to provide opportunities for the staff to give us feedback.鈥�
The district鈥檚 most often used vehicle of communication 鈥� surveys 鈥� don鈥檛 work for everyone, Inay said. Molinar agreed.
鈥淲e need to do small group, one-on-ones, we need to listen and we need to make sure our doors are open,鈥� Molinar said.
Plan for long-term infrastructure needs comes next
On top of improved communications with its teachers, the district also plans to streamline its internal operations to better support campuses and students, including improvements in transportation and maintenance response times.
The district is preparing to align its resources with a comprehensive . Expected to roll out this spring, the plan will serve as a blueprint for addressing long-term infrastructure needs across Fort Worth ISD鈥檚 campuses 鈥� and explore how shrinking enrollment could lead to down the road.
Molinar said the facilities study is critical to supporting the new strategic plan and the district鈥檚 academic goals, ensuring that every school has the resources and environment needed to foster learning.
鈥淎ll of these decisions we make around facilities are not decisions that should be taken as just for this year, because we are really building facilities and setting up an infrastructure for our students鈥� grandkids one day,鈥� Molinar said.
Trustees will use the plan to prioritize renovations, resource allocations and campus investments that directly support student outcomes, she said. From enhancing classroom technology to ensuring efficient heating and air conditioning systems, that plan will tie back to the strategic plan鈥檚 focus on improving literacy, numeracy and overall student engagement.
Increased student achievement, family engagement and employee retention and greater operational efficiency can all be achieved by 2029, Molinar said.
She鈥檚 confident of that. Trustees must keep their focus on the plan, she said.
鈥淓very board meeting has to be on those four priorities,鈥� Molinar said. 鈥淓very meeting. Why are we having a meeting if it鈥檚 not tied to the district strategic plan?鈥�
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or .
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