Texas education chief visits Fort Worth schools as state takeover looms

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English teacher Nady Khalil stretched his arm across a poster-sized sheet of paper with seven stanzas written in red ink and asked six seventh graders to read as the Texas education commissioner observed.

The William James Middle School students glanced at one another while waiting for someone to speak first.

“Can you read this one?” Khalil asked students as Commissioner Mike Morath folded his arms and rested his index finger and thumb on his chin.

Similar scenes repeated throughout Thursday when Morath visited three Fort Worth schools as he considers launching the second-largest district takeover in Texas history because of failing state academic accountability ratings. The commissioner said he saw highs and lows in how well educators taught and crafted lessons.

In the William James classroom filled with students learning English, Morath pulled up a chair as Khalil guided students through a poem. Angelo, a student who immigrated to the United States, recited the stanzas.

“We like to play soccer. Mr. Khalil is from Egypt. Angelo is from Uganda,” Angelo read to his group. “We go to WJMS. We are one world.”

Khalil celebrated his student’s win. Morath smiled, stood up and joined FWISD Superintendent Karen Molinar with her group of students across the room.

In a statement, Molinar said she welcomed the commissioner and appreciated him seeing students’ progress firsthand. She stressed bold, strategic actions are already paying off.

“We are confident the momentum will continue,” the superintendent said.

For teachers, they see these achievements, big and small, every day in their classroom, Khalil said. He has seen more improvements in the past year than in his previous 11 years as a FWISD educator, he said.

Leaders of the 67,500-student district are encouraged by overall progress in STAAR and accountability grades. However, challenges remain as James and Leonard middle schools this year received their fourth straight F. One more failing grade would trigger the state’s intervention law again.

For Khalil, this school year shows promise. FWISD introduced block schedules for middle schools that double the amount of time students spend in reading and math classes.

“Give our kids another chance, another year,” Khalil said.

What happens if a state takeover of occurs?

Another year may be off the table.

Morath described Texas law as clear: He is required to close a school that’s failed five consecutive years or replace the elected board of trustees. Fort Worth ISD officials preemptively closed the failing campus that triggered the law.

A decision on a takeover will happen within the next three months, Morath said.

Over the past 20 years, Fort Worth ISD frequently changed priorities for teachers that stretched between superintendents and slates of elected trustees, Morath said.

FWISD would not be in this situation if local leadership made the right, consistent decisions in the first place, Morath stressed.

“The challenge here in Fort Worth is you see a level of student proficiency that is much lower than what we see in similar environments in districts across the state,” the commissioner said.

If a takeover occurs, Morath said he is required to name appointees to the board of managers and to the superintendent position at the same time. In Houston, Morath replaced the superintendent of two years and that district’s trustees when the state took control in 2023.

The appointed board and superintendent would then make changes quickly to stabilize the district, Morath said.

"Do what’s best for the students"

Morath exited Khalil’s class and joined a gaggle of top FWISD administrators and Texas Education Agency officials in the hallway. Their hushed chatter focused on student performance data pulled up on an iPad.

After a few moments, Morath headed downstairs to Cindy Ortega’s math class.

“Which way is clockwise?” Ortega asked four students. One circled her arm to the right to show her teacher the direction.

Brandon Hall, a Republican State Board of Education member who represents parts of Fort Worth, watched Ortega help students through their math problems. Throughout all the classes he joined, Hall said teachers were giving a good effort to turn things around. He was encouraged.

However, Hall wasn’t sure which way Morath was leaning. With so many children struggling in Fort Worth ISD, the commissioner must take a really hard look at what is right for their success, Hall said.

“We just need to do what’s best for the students,” Hall said.

Where will Fort Worth ISD go next?

Morath climbed down the stairs on the south side of William James to chat with the superintendent and others. The circle split up, with each group walking to their cars.

Morath, Molinar and two other district leaders slid into the superintendent’s pearl white SUV and shut the doors.

Molinar drove down Nashville Avenue as it merged into Thrall Street. She turned onto Rosedale Street and traveled west.

The man riding shotgun will decide the district’s next direction.

Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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