Fort Worth mother Marisol Herrera couldn鈥檛 shake a question from the top of her mind Thursday following the .
Will students have the same opportunities she had growing up here as an immigrant? Will they have the same chance to succeed as her son, a junior at I.M. Terrell Academy?
The answers to those questions will come in the coming months and years, as state appointees replace locally elected trustees to control the with 10,000 employees, marking the second-largest takeover in Texas history.
Herrera is disappointed that Fort Worth ISD will go through immense change when it needs consistency and a steady hand, she said.
鈥淟et the teachers teach. Let the leaders lead 鈥� without any of this outside chaos,鈥� she said.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath launched the intervention Oct. 23 after the now-closed Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade five years in a row.
Nothing will immediately change in Fort Worth ISD, Morath said during a news conference. The school board and Superintendent Karen Molinar remain in charge for now as he considers who to place at the helm.
鈥淭his action is necessitated, unfortunately, because Fort Worth ISD has seen chronically low levels of support given to students and very low levels of academic performance,鈥� the commissioner said, vowing the intervention will give students a needed boost quickly.
When FWISD trustees they limited the commissioner鈥檚 options.
State law requires that Texas鈥� top education leader either close a persistently failing campus after five consecutive years of F academic accountability grades or initiate a districtwide intervention.
Substantive changes emphasizing rigor for students and stronger support for teachers will come to the district next year, Morath said.
鈥淲e have got to do this fast,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to do it as rapidly and with as much precision as possible.鈥�
A child only has one shot at first grade, he said.
Switch to state control to take months
Still, that precision will take time as moving control over to the state will happen over several months, officials said.
Morath plans to tap a conservator to monitor current leadership as the district transitions. The commissioner will select a board of managers made up of Fort Worth residents . A new superintendent also will be installed.
Fort Worth ISD students need change fast, Morath said. He pointed to Houston ISD as an example of how a system that rolled out systemic changes for low-income students now has no F-rated campuses.
鈥淭his is about closing gaps so that our moral vision for public education will be real. It will actually deliver as the great equalizer,鈥� the commissioner said. 鈥淭his is what we want to be true in Fort Worth.鈥�
Fort Worth ISD has lagged behind its peers in student achievement for a decade. In 2024, just on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, the same as the year before.
Roughly , while slightly more than a quarter are on track in math. Algebra I performance is especially poor: Only 19% of students met grade level in 2024, the lowest number among districts in Fort Worth and far below pre-pandemic levels of 45%.
'Locally elected leadership is best positioned'
Some Fort Worth community members decried Morath intervening in a locally directed turnaround just beginning to show progress.
School board President Roxanne Martinez said trustees respect the commissioner鈥檚 commitment to student success, but they are disappointed with his decision. Trustees want him to reconsider because FWISD is heading in the right direction, she said.
鈥淭he board firmly believes that locally elected leadership is best positioned to sustain Fort Worth ISD鈥檚 progress and continue improving outcomes for every student in the district,鈥� Martinez said during a news conference.
The district on this year鈥檚 STAAR results and , though some campuses still failed for another consecutive year. William James Middle School and Leonard Middle School .
Who will be FWISD's next superintendent?
While trustees will soon exit, Molinar could remain. She will be a candidate for superintendent, the commissioner said.
But the job isn鈥檛 a guarantee for the longtime Fort Worth educator.
Morath is 鈥渋mpressed鈥� with Molinar but must consider all options to rebuild Fort Worth ISD with an improved support system for student success, he said.
鈥淲e want to make sure that we give the absolute best odds possible,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat means the leader has to be a technical expert on curriculum instruction, really understand teaching and learning, has to be a master strategist, has to be a master tactician.鈥�
Molinar, who , said she fits the bill.
鈥淚 was born to be an educator, and that鈥檚 been my only profession,鈥� Molinar said during a Thursday news conference. 鈥淲ith what I鈥檝e put in place in the short time that I鈥檝e led this district, I鈥檝e gotten results.鈥�
Her focus now is keeping classrooms stable as the transition begins. She urged parents to continue sending their children to school and promised that daily instruction will not be interrupted.
鈥淵es, this is your school district. These are your schools,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur focus has been and will continue to be our students.鈥�
Mayor Mattie Parker said she鈥檚 confident the right superintendent will be put in place.
鈥淩ight now, my chips are on the table for Dr. Molinar,鈥� Parker said in the lobby of City Hall, calling the superintendent a friend and a great leader.
'Make sure he's listening to Fort Worth'
Meanwhile, teachers, custodians and other school employees who work directly with students reacted with shock and uncertainty, said Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association of Texas, which represents thousands of Fort Worth ISD teachers.
鈥淭his was a gut punch,鈥� Poole said. 鈥淭he fact that Dr. Molinar wasn鈥檛 retained 鈥� yes, she can apply for the job 鈥� but that shook a lot of people because she has a lot of respect among teachers in Fort Worth.鈥�
Educators are anxious about what may come next.
鈥淢y fear is that we鈥檙e going to see the same thing we saw in Houston 鈥� ,鈥� he said.
The mayor offered advice to Morath as he decides Fort Worth ISD鈥檚 new direction.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not Houston. We鈥檙e not Aldine ISD. We鈥檙e not Dallas ISD. We鈥檙e not Austin ISD,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淲e are Fort Worth ISD, and the best thing he can do as a commissioner of education in this process is make sure he鈥檚 listening to Fort Worth.鈥�
FWISD provided opportunities
Herrera, the Fort Worth mother, immigrated to the United States as a second grader. She learned English in FWISD schools. She discovered she was great at math and earned a letterman jacket in high school because of it.
She became an educator because of the opportunities FWISD presented her.
Now, her hope is fading, she said.
She hopes Molinar remains as superintendent, but the fact the superintendent must reapply is discouraging, she said.
She hopes Fort Worth classrooms don鈥檛 become 鈥渞obotic,鈥� focused only on test scores rather than curiosity and connection.
And she鈥檒l keep asking questions, she said, while hoping that when the next generation of Fort Worth students looks back, they鈥檒l see the same promise she once did.
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 .
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
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