Hinojosa vowed to end Fort Worth, Lake Worth ISD takeovers. The question now is, how soon?

Texas-appointed board President Pete Geren stood among a gaggle of reporters and residents outside Fort Worth ISD’s administration building Wednesday afternoon until he spotted elected trustee Roxanne Martinez.

He stepped around the cameras, wove between people and hugged her.

Their embrace captured where FWISD — and Lake Worth ISD, Tarrant County’s other takeover district — stands after Tuesday’s election. Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa promised to end the takeover, but no one knows when.

The election does not automatically hand power back to the elected school boards of Fort Worth ISD and Lake Worth ISD. It’s unclear when Hinojosa can replace Education Commissioner Mike Morath and what a new appointee could legally do.

Hinojosa said Thursday she is interviewing education commissioner candidates. Morath said in a written statement that he will work with his successor for a smooth transition on behalf of Texas students.

Geren made a similar vow to Martinez.

“I’m here today to assure her (and) other school board members that the appointed board wants to work together and do what’s right for the kids,” Geren said, speaking for the entire nine-member board of managers.

During the news conference outside the District Service Center’s gates, Martinez called on appointed board members to fulfill their obligations to students and employees so they receive the education and services they deserve. She asked them to serve as caretakers until trustees return.

Martinez acknowledged that challenges remain in FWISD. 

Student achievement levels are among the lowest in the state. The Fort Worth district faces a nearly $50 million shortfall and shrinking reserves. Dwindling enrollment means too many empty classrooms and schools. Plus staffing problems, broken community trust and other problems remain.

It matters who decides the solutions, Martinez said.

“I’m not asking them to stop governing, but I am asking them to pause any irreversible decisions that can and should wait,” she said. “This is about protecting our students and protecting our resources and also giving back our community a voice.”

‘Another transition’

Martinez kept checking her phone Tuesday night. 

She was trying to pay attention to the SMU women’s basketball game. She’d driven more than an hour to Dallas to watch, with 10 girls in fourth through ninth grades.

Election results began rolling in a few minutes into the second quarter. 

By halftime, SMU led Le Moyne comfortably — and Hinojosa was maintaining a solid lead on Gov. Greg Abbott.

The buzzer sounded. The game was over. SMU won — and so did Hinojosa.

The election gave her renewed hope that Fort Worth ISD could return to elected governance, Martinez told the Fort Worth Report.

But she acknowledged that yet another transition could present challenges for students and employees who have already gone through major changes under the state-appointed leadership.

“Our children cannot afford to become a casualty of another transition,” Martinez said during the news conference. “They’ve already experienced enough disruption.”

Martinez stands ready to pick up her ISD responsibilities but pointed out that elected trustees have been left out of many decisions since the takeover began.

“There’s going to be a lot of catching up for us to do, and it’s going to have to be case by case,” she told the Report.

Elected trustees Anne Darr and Quinton Phillips joined Martinez, parents and local-control advocates in the news conference before the appointed board’s Wednesday meeting.

Darr also cautioned that returning to elected governance will require more than changing the people sitting behind the board dais.

“The community may be frustrated by it at some point because they want to flip a switch and just have everything go back,” Darr told the Report. “But there’s going to be an enormous amount of triage that has to be done.”

‘This is going to happen soon’

Lake Worth ISD elected trustee Tammy Thomas pulled an all-nighter on Tuesday, energized by Hinojosa’s promise of changes.

By lamplight, Thomas penned a letter to Hinojosa. She urged the governor-elect to restore local control as soon as she takes office. Thomas and her fellow trustees were replaced by state-appointed leadership in April after the Marilyn Miller Language Academy received five consecutive failing accountability ratings. 

Once the letter was signed and sealed, Thomas texted members of the elected board, telling them to prepare for a possible return.

“I expect everybody to be ready to go back to work,” Thomas said. “I think this is going to happen soon.”

She acknowledged the elected board bears some responsibility for the district’s longstanding academic struggles, including its delay in replacing former Superintendent Rose Mary Neshyba. But she believes the district was on the path toward improvement before the takeover.

She does worry that Hinojosa might prioritize ending takeovers in larger districts, like Fort Worth, while leaving Lake Worth under state management. 

“I believe we’re in a better position to take back over than Fort Worth ISD is,” Thomas said, citing the district’s improvement under former Superintendent Mark Ramirez, who was replaced by state-appointed Superintendent Ena Meyers.

Tom Harris, president of Lake Worth ISD’s appointed board of managers, said the board will continue focusing on improving academic performance until state officials provide different instructions.

“No reason not to continue what we’re doing until we get a different direction,” he said. 

District spokesperson Noah Ceballos likewise said Lake Worth ISD is committed to staying the course and providing high-quality instruction for all students.

“As with any decisions made at the state level, Lake Worth ISD will follow all applicable laws and directives,” Ceballos said. “Should any changes affecting the district’s governance be formally communicated, we will review and respond accordingly.”

‘The laws that are in place’

FWISD trustee Michael Ryan has long supported Republicans, but he supported Hinojosa because of her public education policies.

“I voted red 99% of the time — and this was one of those 1% times that I didn’t,” said Ryan, a retired educator who substitute teaches in area districts.

He recognized that Hinojosa’s promise to end state takeovers could be more complicated to fulfill than elected trustees and community members might hope.

“The restrictions are going to be the laws that are in place,” Ryan said.

Texas law allows the education commissioner to replace individual managers at any time. But a separate provision generally restricts removal of an entire board of managers until the campus that triggered the takeover receives acceptable academic ratings for two consecutive school years.

The law also establishes a phased transition back to elected governance, with one-third of the appointed managers replaced by elected trustees during each of the final three years of the intervention.

The commissioner has considerable discretion in overseeing state interventions. But that authority has limits, said Rachel Moran, director of the Education Law Program at Texas A&M University School of Law.

A new commissioner could change exit criteria or replace appointed managers for any takeover district. However, the academic performance requirements would remain — unless lawmakers amend the law.

That could complicate Hinojosa’s efforts to end the takeovers immediately, Moran said.

Texas Education Agency spokesperson Jake Kobersky and Hinojosa’s communications director Tommy Kubitschek did not respond to requests for clarification about the possible transition.

In Fort Worth ISD, five consecutive failing ratings for the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade led to the district’s takeover. The school closed its doors in 2023.

Then there’s William James Middle School. The east Fort Worth school received its fifth F this year — a threshold that normally would trigger consideration for a takeover or closing the campus. During an August news conference, Morath said the rating did not substantially change the intervention. 

Lake Worth ISD’s takeover, meanwhile, was triggered by five consecutive failing ratings at Marilyn Miller Language Academy, which remains open.

While a new commissioner could possibly change administrative rules and exit criteria set by the education agency, the commissioner cannot simply disregard requirements already written into state law. 

Replacing Morath presents a separate legal question, Moran said.

The governor appoints the education commissioner, but it requires a two-thirds approval from the Texas Senate. Republicans still control the upper chamber.

If the Senate rejects the governor’s nominee, Hinojosa can make a recess appointment after the legislative session ends in May. The appointee would serve until the 2029 session, when senators consider confirmation. 

The timing of Morath’s current term complicates Hinojosa’s pledge, Moran said. The Senate plays a role in removal of an agency head like the education commissioner, but the governor cannot unilaterally remove that person. 

Morath’s current four-year term expires shortly before Hinojosa takes office in January, raising the possibility that Abbott could seek to reappoint him before leaving office, Moran said. Whether such an appointment could extend into Hinojosa’s term remains a legal question.

The Texas Constitution also allows a state official to continue serving after their term expires, at least until their successor is qualified.

“I don’t think it’s just as easy as saying, ‘I fire him on day one,’” Moran said.

The new commissioner will still need to determine how to apply existing state laws and agency rules to each district, Moran said.

Future of takeover chiefs

What happens to the takeover chiefs Morath appointed?

Morath tapped Florida educator Peter Licata as FWISD superintendent in March and former Houston ISD administrator Meyers as Lake Worth ISD superintendent in April.

The Texas Education Agency negotiated four-year contracts for Licata and Meyers. Licata’s annual salary is $360,000, while Meyers earns $240,000.

Both contracts allow termination if the board and the superintendents agree, if the superintendent resigns or retires, or if the board fires him or her for cause. 

Neither features a buyout clause.

The agency placed Licata, so it should determine what to do with him, Ryan said. But another question arises, Ryan said: “Who has to pay?”

The FWISD trustee wants to avoid another large payout like the one for former Superintendent Angélica Ramsey. Her contract also lacked a buyout clause, but trustees agreed to pay her $544,463 for her exit.

“It’s going to be up to the new commissioner and the Texas Education Agency to fill in a lot of those blanks,” Ryan said.

Licata did not respond to a request for comment. In an emailed statement to the Report, district spokesperson Evan Anderson touted academic improvements since the takeover.

“While political circumstances may change, our focus remains unchanged,” Anderson said. “We will continue to provide the highest quality education to every student in Fort Worth and keep building on the gains this community has earned.”

Thomas already has someone in mind to lead Lake Worth ISD: Mark Ramirez, who was ousted amid the takeover transition.

“I would absolutely love to hire Dr. Ramirez back. We have many decisions to make as a unified school board,” Thomas said.

However, she said elected trustees will need to review information before making plans.

‘The kids’

Geren, the appointed FWISD board president, listened to residents speak during the news conference just outside the District Service Center’s gates. 

All celebrated Hinojosa’s win, but a through line came into view with each speaker.

Zach Leonard, a FWISD parent who leads an anti-takeover group, acknowledged that FWISD had failed some children in the city and said the district needs to improve student outcomes.

Sabrina Ball, a FWISD parent and activist, called on the district to prioritize literacy, deliver on special education services and make students feel safe.

Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association, asked for teachers to hold on until elected trustees return and to keep supporting students.

Geren stepped up to the mic.

“We’re all committed to the kids,” he said.

Geren wrapped up his brief remarks, smiled at elected trustees and nodded at Martinez. Then he walked around the gate into the District Service Center. 

He still had a school board meeting to run.

Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @_jacob_sanchez. 

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. Lake Worth ISD manager Tom Harris is an executive vice president at Hillwood, 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.