Community pushback delays FWISD changes to student transfers and advisory committee

Ashley Perry spent the weekend weighing where her youngest child would attend middle school next year.

The Fort Worth ISD mom of three always anticipated her fifth grader, a student at Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center, would follow his older siblings to Applied Learning Academy. Families must apply for entry at both schools, with acceptance decided via a lottery that factors in district-set preferences.

After discovering changes to the district’s school-choice lottery priorities, Perry was no longer certain her son would make it in. 

“Due to this sudden change, our family spent the weekend coming up with Plan B, C, D and E of what we would do for middle school for our youngest if he does not get into ALA,” Perry told FWISD’s state-appointed board of managers Nov. 10.

Perry was among the parents and community members who challenged proposed changes to student transfers and the district advisory committee during the Tuesday meeting. Both policies were tabled, but came as district leaders faced scrutiny about how much input families and educators possess in changes affecting their schools. 

School-choice changes raise concerns

Under the proposed changes, FWISD would remove language requiring a lottery for students applying to schools and programs of choice within the district. Instead, administrators would establish the rules for assigning students.

The district’s lottery gives certain students priority for limited seats. Previous priorities have included students with siblings already attending a school and children of district employees.

The proposal would not necessarily eliminate the lottery, which FWISD still plans to use for the upcoming school year. However, it would remove the lottery requirement from the board policy governing transfers within the district, giving administrators more flexibility over how students are selected.

Perry challenged leaders on why the district was altering its established lottery priorities as families started applying for the upcoming school year.

“Changing the rules of the game during mid-play is unfair,” Perry said.

Superintendent Peter Licata declared earlier in the meeting that he was halting changes to school-choice transfer priorities while administrators examined the data.

“We need to preserve continuity for students and families while examining whether inequities exist in our current practices,” Licata said.

Additional speakers voiced worries regarding how the proposed policies might impact students seeking transfers due to school closures or transportation difficulties.

Managers pulled the transfer-policy updates from consideration, leaving the current policies intact for the time being.

Discussion — and action — on the proposed updates was tabled to December’s meeting, Louis Kushner, the district’s chief of staff, told the Fort Worth Report. It was not immediately clear how the pause would impact families applying for schools of choice.

Superintendent asks board to reconsider advisory committee changes

Managers also delayed proposed revisions to the district advisory committee, a group of educators, parents and community members tasked with advising district leaders on educational goals, student performance and key instructional programs.

The proposal would have shrunk the committee from 21 members to 13 and shifted appointment authority from the board to the superintendent.

Teacher representation would have dropped from eight members to five, while parent representation would have declined from five members to two.

The revisions also would have removed designated parent seats representing elementary, middle and high schools, special education and choice programs.

Educator Randi Wheeler challenged leaders’ rationale for shrinking representation.

“How will reducing parent and teacher representation improve stakeholder engagement?” Wheeler asked.

She felt the conclusion of the state takeover was approaching. Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa has vowed to terminate such interventions, though exactly when FWISD might revert to elected governance is still unclear.

The district should be restoring relationships with families and educators, Wheeler said, rather than decreasing opportunities for their involvement.

“This is the time to rebuild trust, not reduce representation,” Wheeler said.

Licata recommended that managers retract the proposal and reevaluate how the committee’s members are chosen.

“I just don’t think it’s in anyone’s best interest for me to select who I think should go on there,” Licata said.

He noted the committee has struggled to gather regularly and maintain its membership, but he wanted to retain opportunities for community participation.

“I want an objective group of people,” Licata said.

Later, managers voted 7-0 to delay the proposed revisions. Jay Stegall and Luis Galindo were absent. A revised proposal will be presented during managers’ December meeting, Kushner said.

Administrators will keep collecting feedback on other district proposals, including the district improvement plan, which is anticipated to return for consideration in December, Licata said. 

He tried to reassure parents and community members. 

“In other words, we’re listening,” Licata said.

Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @matthewsgroi1.

Disclosure: FWISD manager Pete Geren leads the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. FWISD manager Laurie George is a member of the Report’s reader 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 here.