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Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker speaks during the public comment portion of Fort Worth ISD’s Aug. 27 meeting at the Fort Worth ISD Admin Building at 7060 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth. (Matthew Sgroi | Fort Worth Report)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC_0364-3.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC_0364-3.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>Mayor Mattie Parker voiced dissatisfaction with the lackluster and stagnant state of Fort Worth ISD in an Aug. 27 letter and speech to the school board.“A great city demands a great public education system, and our future depends on it. Fort Worth ISD is one of 12 public school districts in the city of Fort Worth, our largest ISD, and unfortunately, it has not kept pace with our city’s rapid ascent,” Parker wrote in a letter addressed to the nine-member school board but not the superintendent.Parker issued her remarks with the support of more than 40 other community leaders, including all City Council members. She called on the school board to adopt a clear, actionable turnaround strategy so students and, by extension, the city can succeed and grow together.“Fort Worth ISD has the opportunity to lead with courage to turn around our district and avoid state intervention,” Parker said, referring to the possibility of the Texas Education Agency taking over the district.Now is the time for action and for a plan to transform Fort Worth ISD into the district of choice for families, the mayor said. Before her 2021 election, Parker served as the founding chief executive of the Tarrant To & Through Partnership, a nonprofit focused on connecting students to career and education pathways after high school. Parker and the group of civic leaders urged the school board to:Develop clear and ambitious goals focused on student achievement.

Align goals with budget priorities informed by a thorough audit.

Pause any further bond expenditure until a thoughtful district facilities plan is developed that enhances teacher capacity and student resources.

Implement high-quality instruction across every classroom.

Prioritize academic interventions for students who are falling behind.

Conduct a comprehensive personnel audit, implement targeted evaluation plans and develop compensation programs that support and retain top educators.The mayor laid out Fort Worth ISD’s academic data, which she described as a sobering story. State standardized test data from spring 2024 shows Fort Worth ISD trailing 11 percentage points behind Dallas ISD, 14 points behind Houston ISD and 18 behind Brownsville ISD.Other data Parker presented showed Fort Worth ISD ranked 22 out of 24 districts that serve more than 20,000 students with similar student demographics. The gap from the top was 25 percentage points.“These results are unacceptable,” Parker said. “For our city’s children, these results can significantly narrow their ability to access the life and the opportunities that they want and deserve. And for our city, there are significant long-term consequences in the areas of workforce, economic development, poverty, public health and much more.”Issues between superintendent, trusteesParker’s remarks come as the school board and Superintendent Angélica Ramsey navigate growing tensions surrounding her tenure and future with the district. Ramsey told trustees in early 2024 that they breached her contract as a result of a disagreement over her goals, which form the basis of her evaluation. In July, trustees agreed to give Ramsey a retirement bonus of $15,000, the lowest contractually obligated amount. Unlike in 2023, the board did not extend her contract, which has fewer than two years remaining.Ramsey’s goals were not public before her July evaluation. A best practice for a school board is to approve the goals in a public vote, so a district and superintendent have a record of clear expectations, an educational leadership professor at the University of Texas at Austin previously told the Fort Worth Report.Trustees were set to adopt the district’s first strategic plan under Ramsey in July. However, a majority voted it down amid board member absences and concern over community engagement. Fort Worth ISD did not move the needle on spring 2024 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, tests. Results were consistent with 2023 figures. The district has struggled to bounce back to its pre-pandemic levels of academic achievement.Ramsey has said STAAR results do not fully reflect academic performance and has shifted her focus to an exam from the Northwest Evaluation Association called Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP. The test tracks academic growth throughout a school year; it is administered at the beginning, middle and end of the school year.“What I’d like to point out is that every single grade level had growth from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year,” Ramsey told Fort Worth City Council members in February. “It’s great news for the city of Fort Worth.”Experts previously told the Report that growth on the MAP exams is an expectation. The exam is best used so teachers can make changes to classroom instruction on a student-by-student or classwide basis.Ramsey was hired in September 2022. At the time, she listed her three priorities: Accelerate learning for students; work through the district’s 2017 and 2021 bonds; and improve district finances.Little progress has been made on the 2021 bond program outside of building Rolling Hills Elementary, a new campus for the Benbrook area of the district.Fort Worth ISD adopted a 2024-25 school year budget with a $17.7 million deficit, fueled by a $17.7 million compensation package. School board member Kevin Lynch criticized the budget process for not including the compensation package after administrators presented a balanced budget. ‘Greatness is possible for all kids’Parker pointed to two school districts that Fort Worth ISD should look to as examples of large, diverse urban school districts that have succeeded in putting in place systemwide reform: Houston ISD and Dallas ISD.Houston ISD saw the number of schools rated A or B nearly double after the state took over and appointed new leadership in 2023. Houston ISD released preliminary accountability ratings after a judge prevented the state from issuing 2024 grades because of a lawsuit.Dallas ISD trailed Fort Worth about a decade ago, Parker said. Now, Dallas ISD outperforms Fort Worth ISD in the number of students meeting grade level standards.“Houston ISD accomplished these results following state-mandated intervention due to chronic academic failure, while Dallas ISD implemented a strategic turnaround plan from within,” Parker said. “Greatness is possible for all kids — with inspirational and accountable leadership that channels the dedication of teachers, principals and staff to focus on high-quality instruction implemented with fidelity.”Parker and the group of leaders who signed the letter to the school board envision a Fort Worth ISD where all students are proficient on state assessments, the achievement gap for students of color and low-income students is fully closed, and every graduate is ready for college, a career or the military.All of those goals are within reach, Parker said.“The board must establish bold, aspirational goals that are directly aligned with these priorities, ensuring that progress is measured and success is achieved,” Parker said. “These shared aspirations are not distant ideals but achievable realities — if we unite and work together.”Who signed the letter?

Mayor Mattie Parker gathered a group of 40 civic leaders to voice their dissatisfaction with the state of Fort Worth ISD and offered a plan forward for the school board. All City Council members signed the letter. 

Here’s who signed:

Colby Adams

Bobby Ahdieh, Texas A&M University School of Law

Brent Beasley, Fort Worth Education Partnership

Gyna Bivens, Fort Worth mayor pro tempore

Alan Blaylock, Fort Worth City Council member

Rose Bradshaw, North Texas Communities Foundation

Michael Crain, Fort Worth City Council member

Grant Coates, The Miles Foundation

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, Parent Shield Fort Worth

Carlos Flores, Fort Worth City Council member

Michelle Green-Ford, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce

Macy Hill, Fort Worth City Council member

Tom Harris, Mayor’s Council on Education & Workforce Development

Leah King, United Way of Tarrant County

Annette Landeros, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Charlie Lauersdorf, Fort Worth City Council member

Isaac Manning, Trinity Works

Libby Manning

Jeanette Martinez, Fort Worth City Council member

John F. Pergande, Insurazone

Betsy Price, former Fort Worth mayor

Bob Ray Sanders, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce

Elizabeth Beck, Fort Worth City Council member

Roy Charles Brooks, Tarrant County commissioner

Chris Nettles, Fort Worth City Council member

Steve Montgomery, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

Pete Geren, Sid W. Richardson Foundation

Marianne Auld, Kelly Hart

Dee Kelly, Kelly Hart

Estella Williams, NAACP Tarrant County

Jeremis Smith, Legacy Wealth Management Group

John Robinson, Amon G. Carter Foundation

Jonathan Cranz, Kelly Hart

Michael G. Bell

Mike Berry, Hillwood

Leila Santillán

Ken Kuhl, Leadership ISD

Lillie Biggins

Alex Jimenez

Rosa Navejar, The Rios Group

Jared Williams, Fort Worth City Council member

Manny Ramirez, Tarrant County commissioner

Kenneth Barr, former Fort Worth Mayor

Mike Moncrief, former Fort Worth mayor

Matt AvilaEditor’s note: This story will be updated with additional information.Disclosure: The North Texas Communities Foundation, Miles Foundation, Sid W. Richardson Foundation, Amon G. Carter Foundation and Hillwood have been financial supporters of the Fort Worth Report. Marianne Auld is a member of the Report’s board of directors. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.