Teachers and principals at seven persistently failing Fort Worth schools must reapply for their jobs for next school year if trustees approve a turnaround plan next week.
That鈥檚 because FWISD students deserve to have the best teachers in front of them, Superintendent Karen Molinar said Wednesday.
, Molinar wants to shift three middle schools and four elementaries to a Texas-approved turnaround model. On top of that, FWISD administrators want to use the state鈥檚 new reading materials .
Both moves come with extra money from the state if trustees adopt the plan at their Sept. 23 meeting.
The affected schools are:
All seven received D鈥檚 and F鈥檚 since 2023 in the state鈥檚 academic accountability ratings, which are based on how well students perform on STAAR tests.
Students cannot wait any longer to see improvements, Molinar said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e already behind,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my responsibility to put the best teachers in front of them each day.鈥�
Expectations for FWISD school turnaround plans
Although the rollout is a year away, Molinar wants to spend this year recruiting and retaining the best teachers and principals for each school.
Those at the selected campuses will have higher salaries. Students will have proven teachers who know how to move the needle, she said.
The Texas Education Agency based the turnaround model on an effort from Dallas schools called the . , now the state-appointed leader of Houston schools, and improved student performance.
Dallas ISD scaled back the costly ACE program. Through the program, highly effective teachers received .
Teachers in core subjects, such as reading and math, must have at least two years of experience to work at the designated schools. At least half of the educators at the schools must be considered among the state鈥檚 , identified through their students鈥� performances on STAAR.
Each school also will have at least one counselor per 300 students and licensed mental health professionals.
The requirement that teachers and principals reapply is consistent with how FWISD has handled past campus turnaround efforts, Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association of Texas, told the Fort Worth Report.
鈥淭his is not unusual,鈥� he said, referring to the district鈥檚 , which also are based partly on Dallas鈥� ACE model.
Teachers will either remain on campus or be transferred elsewhere in the district, Poole said. No one loses their job, he said.
To him, one of the more promising elements of the model is enticing the to the most struggling schools with additional pay to help the children who need them.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 going to be an improvement for these schools,鈥� Poole said.
Proposed reading lessons drew criticism for religious stories
Adopting Bluebonnet Learning鈥檚 reading lessons for kindergarten through fifth grade will strengthen the district鈥檚 literacy focus, Molinar said.
However, the lessons when the State Board of Education approved them.
A FWISD document notes that roughly 2% of lessons include biblical references. Teachers are directed to treat them similarly to any other literature, such as historical speeches and fictional or nonfictional texts, according to the district document.
Molinar said she did not want to wait until the spring for trustees to approve and then roll out the new materials. Instead, teachers will have time this school year for training and familiarizing themselves with the lessons before summer break, she said.
Bluebonnet Learning will replace current reading lessons from Amplify. The superintendent described the new lessons as an enhanced version of what students are learning that features stronger parents resources.
Molinar said her moves are for students 鈥� regardless of a takeover, a state-appointed board of managers or even her removal.
鈥淲hether I鈥檓 here or someone else takes my place for next school year, I know I鈥檓 doing everything I can today to make sure students are set up to have the best people in front of them,鈥� she said.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or .
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or .
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