Leadership Academy at Forest Oak 6th Grade in Fort Worth ISD has maintained an unacceptable rating for five years with the release of the 2023 TEA A-F ratings.
Leadership Academy at Forest Oak 6th Grade in Fort Worth ISD has maintained an unacceptable rating for five years with the release of the 2023 TEA A-F ratings.
Leadership Academy at Forest Oak 6th Grade in Fort Worth ISD has maintained an unacceptable rating for five years with the release of the 2023 TEA A-F ratings.
FORT WORTH, Texas — After a release of school ratings that the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) sued to prevent, the district could be at risk of state oversight.
Fort Worth ISD is one of several North Texas school districts that joined a lawsuit to block the release of the Texas Education Agency’s 2023 A-F accountability ratings. With the release of those ratings, the district is facing serious action from the TEA.
Leadership Academy at Forest Oak 6th Grade has maintained an unacceptable rating for five consecutive years. The Texas Education Code outlines the next steps for both the school and the district.
The statute reads, “If a campus is considered to have an unacceptable performance rating for five consecutive school years, the commissioner shall order, (1) appointment of a board of managers to govern the school district as provided by Section 39A.202; or (2) closure of the campus.” Read the full statute here.
WFAA has reached out to the TEA and Fort Worth ISD for comment.
The TEA says at this time, it “cannot speculate on any possible interventions.”
Based on the 2023 ratings, the TEA could move to close Leadership Academy at Forest Oak 6th Grade. It could also decide to appoint a board of governors for FWISD, which could have a dramatic impact on the district.
FWISD already took action to consolidate the campus with Forest Oak Middle School in the fall of 2023, requesting a closure from the TEA. That marks the same year the school reached its fifth consecutive year of an unacceptable rating at the school. It is also important to note that FWISD joined a lawsuit to block the release of the 2023 A-F ratings that would force action by the TEA.
Texas Education Code Section 39A.202 provides more information about the role of a board of managers. If the TEA appoints a board of managers, the current board of trustees will be suspended throughout the duration of that appointment. The TEA Commissioner, Mike Morath, would also appoint a district superintendent. The board of governors would have authority to amend the district’s budget as well.
Under state code, if Fort Worth ISD is assigned a board of managers, the commissioner should include community leaders and representatives with leadership experience and education expertise, then provide training for them.
The commissioner will also have the power to authorize payment for the board of managers and replace a member at any time. Once a board of managers is appointed, the board of trustees will not assume any powers until the appointment is expired.
The TEA appointed a superintendent and board of managers over Houston ISD, the largest district in Texas, since 2023. In 2019, the agency recommended taking over after Phillis Wheatley High School received a failing grade for multiple consecutive years and allegations of misconduct by the district’s board of trustees. The TEA tells WFAA all the members of the Houston ISD board of managers is from and lives in Houston.
During the transition, the TEA removed the elected board of trustees and then-superintendent Millard House II and replaced them with a temporary state-appointed board.
Since the takeover, Houston ISD has faced criticism over the loss of local control over the district, drops in enrollment, and implementation of the New Education System.
The TEA has taken control of more than 15 school districts since 1991.
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