Fort Worth trustees were slated to consider possible action regarding the state takeover at a special meeting Tuesday.
The Fort Worth ISD school board listens to public comment during a special school board meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth.Fort Worth ISD trustees did not take action on the state’s decision to take over the district at a Tuesday special meeting, saying they hoped recent conversations with the education commissioner would change his mind.
District officials can appeal the takeover, though they have not indicated plans to do so. In a statement read aloud at the meeting, trustees said they were awaiting “the commissioner’s final decision of the informal review” and said they remained “hopeful” last week’s conversation “will lead to a different outcome on behalf of our students and community.”The takeover of the 70,000-student district came after one of its campuses earned a failing rating for five consecutive years. Morath has said the takeover was necessary to address a widespread, chronic issue of “low levels of support ... and academic performance.” Under a takeover, Morath will remove the district’s nine-member board of trustees and appoint a board of managers. He will also name a new superintendent. Karen Molinar, who became the district’s permanent superintendent in March, is a candidate for the role as Morath conducts a nationwide search. Residents living within Fort Worth ISD canTrustees conferred in executive session for three hours at Tuesday’s special meeting, where they were slated to consider possible action related to Morath’s Oct. 23 letter informing district officials of the takeover, according to the agenda.Trustees also conducted Molinar’s annual evaluation, which is required under her contract, in executive session. They did not take any action regarding her salary or the term of her contract.“While the specific details of the evaluation are confidential, the board was pleased to document Dr. Molinar’s exemplary leadership and dedicated service to the district,” trustees said in their statement. Morath’s decision to take over Fort Worth ISD makes it the second-largest district to undergo state intervention. TEA took over control of Houston ISD, the state’s biggest district, in 2023. In recent weeks, Fort Worth trustees have asked Morath to reconsider his decision and give Molinar and the board a chance to continue the progress underway. Fort Worth ISD officials said their schools have improved in accountability ratings over the past year, a sign their reforms are paying off. The district poured over $22 million into literacy and math initiatives that placed more expert teachers in the classroom. Fifty of the district’s schools have moved up at least one letter grade, and the number of F-rated schools has decreased from 31 to 11. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker has commended Molinar’s turnaround efforts and said she believes the takeover has the “potential to be transformative.” The 2023 failing state rating that triggered the takeover was released this year after lawsuits delayed the state’s A-F academic accountability grades for two years. Fort Worth ISD officials had already closed the failing campus, Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade, after the 2023-24 school year.Morath has acknowledged the district’s recent improvements and said the closure of the failing campus had no impact on his decision to institute a state takeover.He described the district’s low academic performance as a “long-standing issue” predating COVID-19 disruptions. Only 34% of students in Fort Worth ISD are meeting grade level, 16 percentage points below the state average, according to Morath. Morath will be looking for evidence that there are no more multiyear failing campuses before the district can return to elected trustee control, he said.The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas. The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.Milla Surjadi covers higher education for the Education Lab at The Dallas Morning News. She has previously reported for The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Tampa Bay Times. She is a recent graduate of Duke University.A ‘shared calling’ unites team at Top Workplaces honoree First Baptist Dallas
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