As Fort Worth鈥檚 , advertising executive Ken Schaefer saw a long-overdue chance to focus on execution and outcomes.
Parent Jesica Bustamante Ramirez saw something else: a board she says has little connection to families like hers in Diamond Hill.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on Tuesday and nine-member board of managers to oversee Fort Worth ISD, removing authority from locally elected trustees and ushering in a new phase of control for the nearly 68,000-student district.
business executives, a former congressman and other civic leaders.
Bustamante Ramirez, who graduated from FWISD, worries the new leadership lacks ties to the communities it will serve, she said. It matters to her whether the managers have children in the district and existing relationships with local schools, she said.
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen one of these board of managers in the Diamond Hill community, volunteering or serving in our area,鈥� she said in a written statement to the Fort Worth Report. 鈥淭hey can have all the advanced degrees they want. It doesn鈥檛 mean that they understand our students.鈥�
The shift to state-appointed leadership raised concerns about accountability, with some in the community saying the managers answer to Morath rather than parents and voters.
鈥淭hose of us parents that are involved will be paying close attention,鈥� Bustamante Ramirez said.
Others see the moment through a different lens. They say FWISD needed sweeping changes to spur academic improvements for children. The community should focus less on who was selected 鈥� and their credentials 鈥� and more on what they deliver, they said.
Schaefer, a Fort Worth business leader, described the group as more akin to a turnaround team than a traditional school board, in business, law and education-adjacent fields as a sign the state is prioritizing operational change.
鈥淎t some point, you have to ask a very, very simple question,鈥� he said. 鈥淎re our kids learning at the level they need to? And if the answer is no 鈥� which it is and it has been 鈥� then something has to change.鈥�
Lupe Lynch, president of the Fort Worth ISD Council of PTAs, sees both sides of the moment 鈥� optimism about and concern about the board itself.
鈥淲e know very little because this is all breaking, but I see potential,鈥� Lynch said of the Florida educator tapped to be FWISD鈥檚 schools chief. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good to know he鈥檚 a kid-first advocate. That鈥檚 very important.鈥�
Still, she questioned whether all managers bring the same connection to public education, noting that many come from business backgrounds.
鈥淪ome of them have deeper interests in Fort Worth than public education, and I think that鈥檚 why they landed where they landed,鈥� she said.
Lynch and others pointed to Laurie George, a Fort Worth ISD parent and special education PTA leader, as someone they see as closely tied to students and families 鈥� and a source of optimism on the board.
鈥淚 feel she鈥檚 grounded,鈥� Lynch said. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen her at board meetings. I鈥檝e seen her at PTA rallies. I鈥檝e seen her in Austin with PTA folks.鈥�
George and the other eight managers declined the Fort Worth Report鈥檚 requests for comment on their appointment. On a social media post, George wrote, 鈥淓very child matters, and every child deserves to be seen and served well in every school across our district.鈥�
The urgency for change and concern over losing local elected control echoed across Fort Worth on Tuesday.
Stan Johnson, a longtime Fort Worth parent whose children attended district schools, said he wants to see improvement but
鈥淚 want better for the students of Fort Worth because they鈥檙e our future,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淏ut I also want to do it in a way that isn鈥檛 ideological or biased.鈥�
He remains uneasy that the managers were not vetted by voters.
鈥淭hey were not subject to voter scrutiny,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have the opportunity to really vet them.鈥�
But not all reactions were rooted in skepticism.
Breshaun Elder, a coach and Fort Worth ISD employee with 13 years in the district, said the changes could bring growth 鈥� even if they come with discomfort.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always exciting just to know that change is on the way,鈥� Elder said. 鈥淪ometimes, we don鈥檛 always want it or we may not always be ready for it. But when it comes, it just makes us better people.鈥�
He acknowledged that many educators are anxious, , but said fear cannot drive the district forward.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 have fear and win the game,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in the game of education.鈥�
He pushed back on the sentiments that previous district leaders failed students. Still, he looked forward to change under Licata.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 fail,鈥� Elder said. 鈥淲e just lost. But we got a new coach. We鈥檙e coming back.鈥�
Residents who said the state emphasized a clear expectation: focus on outcomes and hold leadership accountable.
鈥淚t was drilled into us that we had to focus on outcomes for all students,鈥� said Ken Kuhl, director of governance for nonprofit Fort Worth Education Partnership, who attended the required training before withdrawing his application.
鈥淭he board of managers aren鈥檛 there to be educational experts,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e there to ensure results.鈥�
Reactions from elected and advocacy leaders reflected similar divides.
Elected FWISD board President Roxanne Martinez 鈥� who will still serve as trustee during the takeover but with no governing authority 鈥� said . She urged the community to remain engaged as Morath鈥檚 appointed leaders take over.
鈥淭he state has made clear promises about improvement, and we must hold them accountable for delivering real results for Fort Worth students,鈥� Martinez said in a statement.
State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, who represents the west side of Fort Worth ISD, said he hopes the transition creates an opportunity for improvement, while encouraging parents to stay involved.
鈥淧arents are the most important stakeholders in FWISD,鈥� Hall said in a statement. 鈥淪tay involved, stay vigilant and make your voices heard when you have feedback or concerns.鈥�
But fellow SBOE member Tiffany Clark, who represents the east side of the district, sharply criticized the process, calling it rushed and lacking meaningful input.
鈥淚f you can take over a district without meaningful input, if you can rush decisions without transparency 鈥� then the question is no longer if this will happen again; it鈥檚 where it will happen next,鈥� Clark wrote in a statement.
Some community members raised concerns about how much authority an appointed board should exercise while in place.
Molly Hyry, a longtime district volunteer, said she hopes the managers avoid making permanent decisions 鈥� 鈥� while it remains unelected.
鈥淏ecause they are a temporary board and they are appointed, not elected, I hope they stay in their lane,鈥� she said.
In a statement, community advocacy group Families Organized Resisting Takeover announced its plans to closely monitor the new leadership and push for transparency and accountability.
Even among supporters, expectations are high.
Fort Worth鈥檚 business and civic leaders now have a responsibility to help ensure the turnaround succeeds, Schaefer said.
鈥淎 healthy community requires a vibrant and healthy educational system,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 do that, then we鈥檙e part of the problem.鈥�
Disclosure: The Sid W. Richardson Foundation is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. Laurie George is a member of the Report鈥檚 reader advisory council. Courtney Lewis is a member of the Report鈥檚 business advisory council. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.orgor .
Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.
This first appeared on and is republished here under a .
