Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. N. I am oh I oh I oh I oh I oh I oh I oh I oh I oh I oh I oh I Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N.
Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey,
hey, hey, hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. How we go?
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey. Okay. Good evening. It is 5:30 p.m. The meeting is now called to order. I want to thank everyone for being in attendance
tonight. I ask that you please silence your your cell phones if you have one with you. A quorum of the board is present in the boardroom in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551.
The members present are Bobby Adier, Luis Galindo, Courtney Lewis, Frost Po, Rosa Maria Berdea, Tennessee Walker, and Lori George. Jay Stagall is not in attendance this
evening. I ask that you all please stand with me and welcome the Western Hills High School Junior ROC to present the colors of our nation. And Sabrina Stewart from Pascal High School will sing our national anthem. Oh, say can you see
by the dawn early light, what so proudly we held at the twilight last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars
through the perilous fight. For the parts we watched were so gallently streaming and the rockets
red. The bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star spangled bot or the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all. >> Now recite the pledge to the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, and one and indivisible. >> Thank you.
Please be seated. Special thanks to the Western Hills JOTC for joining us tonight and and to Sabrina Stewart from Pascal. We've lost two of the dedicated leaders in Fort Worth who served the Fort Worth
ISD with distinction for decades. You add the two together and it's it's over a half a century to service of service to the ISD. Uh we lost Molly Lacier and we will read a resolution expressing our appreciation to Molly Lacier's service
at the next board meeting. Tonight, I'll read a resolution expressing our appreciation to TA Sims for his service. Uh TA Sims was the first African-American elected to be president of the fourth ISD school board. And
Molly Ler was the first woman to be elected to both vice president and president of the school board. Two distinguished citizens who served our our kids, our children with with such distinction. Now I'll share with you the resolution
that's for TA Sims. Whereas Dr. TA Sims was a distinguished community leader, businessman, and public servant who dedicated his life to service within the Fort Worth community. And whereas Dr. Sims was elected to the
Fort Worth Independent School District Board of Education, representing district 4 in 1983, beginning what would become more than three decades of service to the district. And whereas during his tenure on the board of education, he served in numerous leadership roles, including
secretary of the board beginning in 1984, continuing as secretary during the 1986 to 1987 term, and being appointed vice president of the board February 10th, 1987. Whereas in 1989, the fourth independent
school district honored Dr. Sims by naming an elementary school in his honor, a lasting testament to his leadership, legacy, and commitment to public education. Whereas in May 2012, Dr. Sims made history as the first African-American board president of the
Fort Independent School District, providing leadership marked by dedication, integrity, and a strong commitment to students and educational equity. Whereas Dr. Sims served continuously on the board for 35 years. While his extraordinary length of
service ended with his decision to step down from the board in 2019, his impact on the board endures today. Whereas the board of education recognizes that Dr. Sim's legacy is reflected not only in policies and programs, but also in the lives of students, educators, and
families who benefited from his leadership and vision. Now therefore, be it resolved that the board of trustees of the Fort Worth Independent School District hereby honors the life, leadership, and service of Dr. TA Sims and expresses its profound appreciation
for his 35 years of dedicated service to the district and our community. And be it further resolved that the board extends its deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues and constituents of Dr. SIMS and joins them in celebrating a life and a legacy of
service, leadership, and commitment to public education. And be it further resolved that this resolution shall be entered into the official minutes of the Fort Worth Independent School District Board of Education and stand as a permanent acknowledgement of the district's respect, gratitude, and
remembrance of Dr. TA Sims. Now therefore, I, Pete Garin, president of the Fort Worth Board of Managers, do hereby wish to honor the service of Dr. TA Sims to the students, families, and community of the Fort Worth ISD.
Presented this 14th day of April, 2026. I will now now welcome Dr. Lacata for a special acknowledgement of some special students. >> Thank you, sir. I had the amazing time I had an amazing time out front today.
I've seen these science fair projects out front and then I finally got to see the faces next to these experiments and I got to talk to the students out there and meet the parents. Uh this is important that we display a lot of students work. We display it in front of us and we'll continue to do that. But
it's just so good to see these students with with some really good experiments about popcorn and about nail polish and and soda on the teeth. So I was just excited by uh seeing that and interacting with some great stu students. Sorry. But I'm going to announce their names and I've already
apologized them to to them personally. So we're going to try this. Here we go. Drag time by Isabella Clauss from Luella Merritt Elementary School. Which water gets hotter? By Emily Perry from Dagot Monasuri.
Do you need to need with a K by Ava Fuller from Rolling Hills Elementary School. Human or AI by Jericho Dennis, Donovan Espino, and Joure Nuome from Rolling Hills Elementary School. Pay the price for
Pretty Perfect Polish by Avery Flooch. Flush flush flush popcorn paradise by Meen Marmallejo, Lorenzo Baron, Alexander Mora, Camila
Guen, and Amelia Maldonado. Keep it neutral by Catala Colato. Allesandre Dominguez did Ready, Set, Fly from Westcliffe Elementary. Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that Catala is from Seminary Hills Park Elementary School.
and exposing the truth about tooth enamel by Amelia Melton from West Park Elementary School. Did I miss one? I'm sorry. >> I'm sorry. >> Gallop. >> Oh, galloping through the ages. U it was this little child on horse. I just can
imagine. I asked her if she fell off a lot and she says, "Yeah, it doesn't hurt at all." So, I was very entertained by her. But, Galloping Through the Ages: Heart rate recovery in horses by Paisley Morgan from Luella Merritt High School or Elementary School. If it may please, the president and the
board of managers, I'd like to take two minutes for superintendent comments. And I'll make them quick and I'm actually going to read them. Uh, good evening. Before we move into public comment, I'd like to take a moment to frame the work ahead of us. I want everyone to understand a number. 24,914.
I'll repeat it. 24,914. That is the number of students in this district who are not reading on grade level or are not proficient. Put that in perspective. That number could fill Dickiy's arena twice.
When you hear it as a percentage, it can feel abstract. But when you hear it as a number, and more importantly, when you attach a child's face to each one of those 24,914, you begin to understand the sheer magnitude of the work before us.
This is not just a statistic. It's a call to action. And it will drive our urgency, our decisions, and our accountability moving forward. I'll have more to say about that in the coming weeks. Since March 21st, my first day, I've visited 26 schools and spent in
time in nearly a 100 classrooms across the district. Those visits have been incredibly valuable. They've allowed me to see firsthand the great work happening in our schools while also identifying areas where we must continue to improve. This past Saturday, I took a drive and
visited Fington Field on my own, and I thanked the gentleman who showed up to open the gates for me. I felt it was important to spend an hour walking around the facility to be understand its legacy and its importance to this community, especially as we will be
discussing it later this evening. I was struck by its structure and its history and the role it has played and hopefully can continue to play in Fort Worth. In addition, we'll be expanding some community uh opportunities for the community input regarding the naming of
Caesar Chavez Elementary. This will continue, excuse me, to include the online feedback for uh online uh input and we will also be setting up a town hall meeting and I believe we just put a date in there for the community on April
20th for the parents. It is my goal to have this process completed by midmay hopefully as we have significant capital improvements and changes that must be made in order to open the school year under its new name. At this time I'd also like to welcome a couple new
members of our leadership team. Joining us in a couple weeks for our chief of human resources is Miss Denanishia Presley. She brings a strong background in human resources along with valuable school-based leadership and experience as a principal. Miss Presley, I know you're out there watching. We are very
excited for you to join the team. I've also come to know a remarkable individual who over the fa past few weeks has served at our interim general counsel. He has proved to be a stellar leader, communicator, and has worked collaboratively with our team. Therefore, I'm very proud to announce and I wish you would stand up, sir, that
Sid Pounds will be joining our team officially as general counsel. In addition, we have onboarded four regional chiefs. They will be introduced during the elevate presentation and I thank you for this time sir. >> Thank you Dr. Lacata.
>> Thank you Dr. Lacata. Those numbers that you cited 24,914 24,914 In our first meeting we made it clear that the priority for this board and for this district is improving student
outcomes. Improving student outcomes. Improving student outcomes. 24,914 is a critically important place to start. Their future depends on it. Thank
you for those remarks, Dr. Licana. Our next agenda item is public comment. I want to thank all who are here tonight. Thank all who have signed up and in and over a dozen I believe submitted written comments and I've had the opportunity the board's had the
opportunity to read those ahead of time and I want to thank all that put the time into that. I particularly want to thank the gentleman that gave us a detailed history of Ferington Field. It it's an extraordinary story. Is that Mr. Fairington right there? Well, thank you
for sharing that with us. that informs our debate as we consider the very important matters having to do with Ferington Field. Public comment is a critically important part of the life of this district. So, thank all of you who have signed up
tonight to speak. We appreciate the time it takes to get ready. We appreciate the time it takes to appear here and your your commitment to our kids, your commitment to improving student outcomes.
Before we begin public comment, I want to share a brief reminder of our process and our procedures. To sh ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to speak, public comment is conducted in accordance with Fort Worth ISD board
policy and the Texas Open Meetings Act. And under those rules, they're set up to ensure that it proceed in an orderly and a well-managed manner. As you know, speakers must sign up in advance through our process. They'll be
called in order that they were that they signed up and they will have three minutes to speak. For those who weren't here last week, in the past, if we had more than 20 sign up, we reduced the speaking time to only two minutes. Uh,
but policy of this board that everyone who shows up, regardless of how many who show up, every one of you will have the opportunity to speak for the three minutes that you prepared to speak. At regular meetings, speakers may address any topic, but at a special
meeting like the one called tonight, comments are limited to items on the posted agenda. The board listens to all public comments, but under our rules, under our rules, we cannot engage with the speakers. When appropriate, responses are limited to factual
information or existing policy. We ask that speakers be mindful of student privacy and refrain from identifying any student by name unless it's your own. A parent or guardian certainly may share
the name if he or she wishes. Speakers are also encouraged to avoid naming individuals, individual employees or volunteers and address concerns at the campus campus program or district level. We
also ask that concerns about individual employees, students, or other confidential matters matters be directed through the appropriate district processes rather than during public comment. is those procedures are designed to ensure that that those
concerns are addressed thoroughly and confidentially if if that's what's required. Please respect the procedures in place as well as other speakers and audience members and conclude your remarks promptly when your three minutes have
expired. Thank you for your engagement and being part of the process. I believe we have 25 members or speakers who have signed up and I'm looking for my list. May I
borrow yours? >> Thank you. Okay. The first speaker tonight, I I do have number 25. I just didn't have one through 24. I'm going to call on the first speaker and ask him or her to come
forward and then I'll also name the second speaker. so he or she can come forward um in anticipation of taking the podium. Our first speaker is Vince Rios. Mr. Rios,
>> thank you, Mr. President. And uh thank you, Mr. Supervis. Uh who was the fellow that I didn't know? The superintendent. Yes, thank you for coming. Uh, and thank you board members.
Uh, I am Vince Fields, Sergeant Vince Fields, United States Supreme Court. And, uh, in the, uh, >> Pardon me one second. Could you hold the microphone a little closer over there? It's not picking up. All right. Thank you. >> Go ahead, Mr. Rios. I apologize. >> Uh, no problem. I'm accustomed to
sounding up. I'm a Marine sergeant, so I can sound up if you don't mind, but I'll refrain from that. uh in deference to time I will say that I have printed a uh a bio that uh made
available to you uh and uh I won't bother with that and uh in uh in in in respect to that I do have a nomination that was given to me to present to you so that uh I could read
it to you and avoid taking up more time than necessary. Okay. And it reads, "Proposal to rename FZA Chavez Elementary School, recommending Sergeant Vince Rios, United States Marco
retired, as the new namesake. I ask that the school board consider removing the name of Cesar Chavez from the grammar school located in the Diamond Hill area of Fort Worth and
replacing it with a more suitable local honore than Trios. The primary motivation for this change is to root is rooted in uh the desire to assign the
school's identity with contemporary community values and aspirations in recent years. Uh there has been growing dialogue regarding the suitability of uh public figures as honores, especially
what when historical uh perspectives and evolving community standards promote reconsideration. While Senator Chavez is recognized for his significant contributions to labor
rights and social justice, concerns have arisen around whether his legacy appropriately represents the ideals, diversity, and priorities of our broader school community today.
These concerns desire to highlight achievements and qualities that resonate more closely with local aspirations. Chabs moral compass and recent revelations of rape pen adultery, including
sexual exploitation of minors, are not a suitable image for our young students to emulate. The intent is not to diminish sever's impact but rather to select namesakes
whose story uh and values serve as a more appropriate stronger inspiration for the next generation. >> I'm going your time is up but I interrupted you at the beginning. Please go on for
>> Vince. Ros's exemplary service and dedication to American ideals make him a fitting representative for our school and a shining example of the type of person we are uh comfortable influencing
our young people. By adopting his name, we aim to inspire students with his story of courage, perseverance, and patriotism. We believe this change will foster a renewed sense of pride and
unity among students, staff, and families. Sergeant Rios gave up and was schooled, I'm sorry, Sergeant Rios grew up and was schooled in the Diamond Hill community.
I grew up with Vince Reels and was always impressed with his character, honesty, and dedication to his friends and community. We kids knew that Vince was a special person long before he
demonstrated just how special he was during and after his military service. Sergeant Rios was a proud United States Marine who served two tours in Vietnam leading his troops into hostile combat
field situations. He eventually was injured by a landmine losing both legs one arm and part uh his uh remaining hand. He not only survived these injuries, but overcame
them, earned four college and advanced degrees, and dedicated his life to helping others transition from injured goods to productive civilians. Although I no longer live in
the area, I visit family there uh regularly and have seen firsthand how Vince continues to positively influence young lives in >> Mr. Rios. I I'd ask you now to to to
please wrap up, but thank you very much for sharing the life of that extraordinary marine with us. >> This proposal was submitted by John McIntyre, Dr. John McIntyre, PhD. He and I went through the first grade, second
grade, third grade, all the way through high school. we graduated together. Uh, and he wanted me to be sure that I delivered that message to you. And I do thank you for giving me the extra time. >> Yeah. Well, thank you very much for for being here and sharing that with us. We, as Dr. Lacata mentioned, we'll we have a
process going forward that uh we'll consider all of the recommendations, but thank you for your service and thank you for being with us here tonight. God bless you. Our next speaker is Dr. Michael Ryan and he'll be followed by Dr. Robert Rogers.
>> Thank you. >> Well, President Garren, members of the board, thank you for being here tonight. I want to talk to you just for a moment about Fington Field. Uh, I'm glad you got to go see it. It does have a very storied history. I can tell you that when my father graduated from Fort Worth
Central High School, which is now Trimbletech, uh he would go to the Mighty Mike games playing the schools from Fort Worth and 22,000 people would be there, not only in the stands, but all around the the track. Uh when I was at Pascal playing there in the late 60s, we'd have up to
11,000 people when we played Arlington Heights because that was the big game. Uh, I mean it was even noted by President Kennedy that Pascal had an air force because we tried to take out the Arnington Heights bonfire one time. Uh, but it is a wonderful stadium. Uh, as we
looked at what presentations came to us a couple of years ago about the changes needed to be done that professional soccer wanted to come in. Uh, it's great for the city of Fort Worth. Uh, the changes will be great for the school district. Uh the one thing I would hope
is that we would also look at leasing land because after about 25 years we start making money and it gives us a a great uh income stream after that if we're able to do that and if the people uh default on whatever they've got going on and we get to take it back over right
then. So just look at that. But there is a great history with that stadium. Uh we want it to to excel the way it was set up for us. The track was going to go away. They were moving the stands closer together so the people would be right there to see it. The facade on the west
side was going to stay. Uh that's incredibly necessary. Uh so good luck with what your considerations are for this. Uh we're looking forward to seeing what you come up with to do that. And Dr. Lac, I will tell you thanks for recognizing the fine arts. I was a head of fine arts for ISD for six years. I
know that we've got great students and we've got incredible teachers in the in the arts here that do incredible stuff. So, thank you for recognizing them. Thank you. >> Dr. Ryan, I saw your prepared remarks and you left off a part. Uh, I think it was go Army Beat Navy. >> Well, since you were part of the Air
Force and the Air Force was here tonight, we might have to say go Air Force, too. >> Okay, good. Your time's up. >> Okay. Dr. Robert Rogers will be followed by Reed Bills. Good evening, Dr. Lacat. Welcome to Fort Worth. We're glad to have you here. And
managers, thank you for your volunteer service. I know this is going to be difficult. I want to tell you a brief story about Angie Hanland. Miss Hanland became principal of Matthews Elementary in Missouri in the spring of 2015 after serving there for 10 years as a teacher
and literacy coach. When she took over, just 14% of third graders were reading at grade level. Imagine that. Like many of our schools in Fort Worth ISD, Matthews served a community with significant economic div disadvantage.
More than 90% of their students lived in poverty. Three years later, 95% of her students were reading at grade level. From 14% to 95% in three years. That kind of result doesn't happen by
chance. Miss Hanland brought two critical advantages. First, she had a deep fundamental understanding of how to teach reading effectively. Second, she had the humility to recognize that strong instruction requires strong systems and that she needed expert help
to design them. She partnered with Patty Montgomery, a consultant with a long track record in instructional leadership. Together, they built the systems and structures necessary to support teachers and ensure that every child learned to read. Their success
proves something important. It is possible to teach all children to read regardless of poverty. Now consider our district. From 2012 through last year, there's not been a single year in which more than 30% of our economically
disadvantaged third graders could read at grade level. Over that time, we have sent more than 50,000 students to fourth grade unprepared for academic success. If education is truly a pathway out of poverty, we must do better.
In a few minutes, Dr. Lacata will present his instructional model. As you review it, managers, I ask you to keep one question front and center. That question is, who who in the system has the expertise to ensure that our elementary principles
become strong instructional leaders in teaching of reading? Who has taught reading or led reading instruction at the elementary level? Is that expertise present in the cabinet among the regional chiefs, executive directors, coaches? If any of them have had
elementary leadership experience, do we know if they were able to improve student outcomes. This is a moment for honesty and for humility. We must own our results without excuses and recognize if we need expert help. Angie
Hanland did that. And because she did, her students thrived. That is what should we should want and expect for every student in the Fort Worth ISD. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Rogers.
Our next speaker is Reed Bills, and she will be followed by Dr. Marie Mendoza. And Miss Bills, thank you for the letter that you sent to me and and our board members. Appreciate your input. Thank you. Thank you for being here tonight.
I'm here to thank you for providing the attachments to the agenda. Um, I was able to watch the PowerPoint presentation on elevate the path forward published by the Fort Worth report.
I did not see many concrete changes. Rather, the document contained a lot of grand promises. The new initiatives highlighted were that only teachers in training would serve as substitutes.
Not my daughter, who retired last year at age 56, who has been called to sub every day this school year. Also, a longer school year is proposed and standard classroom setup. two edicts
that will probably not be popular with either students or teachers. I hope the document is flexible like the board policies and changes will be made when you identify a need to do so.
Thank you, Miss Bills. Our next speaker is Dr. Marie Mendoza and she will be followed by Stephanie Hill. Dr. Mendoza. >> Good evening, board of managers. Dr.
Lacata, President Garin. I am Marie Mendoza. I speak to you today not as a leader, but as a human being who understands that reorganizational change carries weight.
Real weight. the kind that sits in your chest and follows you home. I want to acknowledge plainly that change is challenging. It brings uncertainty. It brings questions and for some it brings
loss. However, I want to offer a perspective that helps me navigate difficult seasons in my own life. Sometimes what feels like an ending
is actually redirection. Not a dismissal of your value. Not a reflection of your worth, but a shift. One that moves you forward toward
your destiny. Something not yet visible to some. We don't always get to choose change, but we do have the ability to mentally
frame it. There is a difference between being stopped and being redirected. When you are stopped, it feels final. When you are redirected, there is still movement,
just in a new direction. I truly believe this. Redirection is often a pathway to purpose. Many of us can look back at moments that we didn't choose, doors that closed, past that shifted, and realize later
that's exactly what positioned us for where we were meant to be. That doesn't make this evening easy for you or anyone else, but it makes it meaningful. To those who may be directly
impacted, your skills, your contributions, your impact go with you. To those who remain, there is a responsibility to lead with empathy, integrity,
unity, and clarity. We are in the throws of change and thus being redirected. But within that there is purpose, opportunity, as Dr. Lucata has put in
his PowerPoint for this evening, opportunity and a path forward. We trust that even in the uncertainty, >> we are being guided toward what's next. >> Thank you very much.
Our next speaker is Stephanie Hill and she'll be followed by Reverend Kristen and I mispronounced your name last time. Cloudy. Okay, I beg your pardon twice. So,
>> Miss Hill, >> good evening. My name is Stephanie Hill and I'm an involved parent in the district. On April 7th, I sent an email to Dr. Shri and the executive director of curriculum over my child's school regarding concerns about curriculum changes, including instructional time,
double blocked ELA, and potential reduction of electives. I've not yet received a response, so I wanted to bring my concerns respectfully to you this evening. First, I encourage the district to avoid a one-sizefits-all approach to curriculum. Each campus has
different needs. Each student has different needs within the campus. Some students, of course, need additional support, while others need acceleration and challenge. A blanket policy underserves both groups. Second, I'd like to address the potential of double
blocking ELA for honor students. While I understand the intent may be to improve outcomes, honor students are already working at or above grade level. Scoring masters on STAR, making A's, and performing well on MAP testing. Requiring these students to spend double
the time in the same subject may have a negative outcome and a loss of opportunities for enrichment. Third, reducing electives to accommodate the double block has real consequences. Maintaining three electives is critical as middle school is a time for exploration and allowing students to
balance different areas of growth such as academics, fine arts, and athletics. For students like my son, that means continuing in sports, band, and Spanish, which leads to a high school credit. Removing that third electives forces
students into an unnecessary trade-off at a young age, which eliminates something they've just discovered they love and a passion that may lead to a future or a scholarship in college. While I understand the desire to wait until the star test results before you
make a decision, there are already sufficient data points that can reasonably predict how a school will perform. And finally, I'd like to address instructional time. benchmark and district testing already account for several weeks of lost at classroom learning throughout the year. The last
time I confirmed with the principal that total was approaching six weeks that the students were testing instead of learning. However, my main takeaway point on that is the following. Administering a benchmark test during star week is
redundant and will lead to testing fatigue. Yet, it is happening this week in our middle schools. I may be one voice tonight with these concerns, but there are at least two elementary school communities of parents that share them, are talking about it, and are watching closely. I respectfully
ask that the district maintain flexibility, preserve three electives, and ensure honor students are not placed double blocked unnecessarily. Thank you so much for your time, your commitment to our students, and I'm encouraged by the board in the direction you're headed. Thank you.
>> Thank you for being here tonight. Our next speaker is Kristen Clott and she'll be followed by Zach Leonard. Thanks for >> Thank you. Hello uh President Garren, Dr. Lacata in the board. Uh my name is
Kristen Claud. So I was here last time and I'll just mention again I have two kids in the district and I attended the district. I'm a native and I'm a local pastor. Uh I'm speaking today on behalf of Fort uh Families Organized Resisting Takeover and I'm the secretary for that
organization. And we wanted to say that our community uh deeply values the people who serve our students every day. Um I wish I could list all the teachers that my kids have had that are just incredible. Uh I would all all day long talk about my daughter's prek teacher. I
won't say her name, but uh I think she's the best in the whole city. I don't care if it's public, private, or whatever. Uh but protecting this human capital is essential to student outcomes. The very outcomes that this board is here to improve. The people employed by our
district are valuable. Not only are they talented and hardworking even in the face of undervaluation and underappreciation sometimes and they hold institutional knowledge, history and irreplaceable relationships.
Tonight, we ask that you do not approve reductions in force and instead set your district your district guard rails with community input first. Institutional knowledge is one of the most underestimated assets a school district
has. When a teacher has worked on a campus for years, they know which students struggle in silence and which families need extra outreach. on a school campus and even at a district level. Shared institutional knowledge is
woven into the culture itself. It is the reason a principal or district staff knows which community partners to call in a crisis. And that knowledge isn't necessarily written down anywhere. It lives in relationships built over time.
When we abruptly eliminate experienced staff, we don't just lose employees. We unravel the invisible infrastructure that holds a school and a community together. Rebuilding it takes years and in the meantime, it is our students that will absorb that cost. So, we ask you to
set a guardrail that protects our staff's institutional knowledge and requires the superintendent to exhaust support options before any reductions in force occur. And we ask that you don't approve tonight any measures that would give Dr. Lacata the power to execute
those reductions before the guardrails are in place and community input has been gathered. We will help Fort will help mobilize the community for your listening sessions. We hope that we have some and many of us as you know went through the lonear
governance training. I did personally uh so I'm aware of the guardrail uh concept. So we're asking that that be put in place first. um we are available as a resource and a partner to help you shape those. So please do not let anyone's sense of urgency crowd out the
importance of what we are doing together to improve the outcomes of our district's students. Thank you. >> Thank you very much for your comment. Next speaker is Zach Leonard and he will be followed by DA Dearor. Good evening, Dr. Lata and board of
managers. My name is Zach Leonard and I'm the president of Fort. When culture and strategy collide, culture wins every time. The culture in Fort Worth ISD is a mixed bag. For years, it's been well known that things
move slowly in our district. try getting an AC fixed in August. But the heart of our district's culture is our teachers. They give more with less resources than most.
Tonight, we're asking you to delay the vote on reductions in force and prioritize setting the district strategic plan guard rails with meaningful community impact input first. Before we get to that ask, I have two urgent questions for the board of
managers. When does the board plan to roll out the community outreach and listening sessions in order to set these guard rails? According to the Lonear governance training, this was to be your first priority and essential before any major changes should take place.
If you have not set our district guardrails, how do you know if any sweeping changes you plan to vote on tonight will violate any of these? As an appointed board of managers operating under the Lonear governance model, your most essential responsibility right now is to set guard
rails for our district, the constraints that protect our community's values and define the boundaries of the superintendent's authority during this takeover. Once guardrails are set, the board steps back and supports the superintendent in
managing the district within those constraints, then holds Dr. Lacata accountable to them. While the board of managers has limited authority in this takeover process, setting the guard rails thoughtfully is your most vital responsibility
for preserving our district's values and culture. The Lonear governance model requires a board to seek meaningful community input before setting guard rails. Districts that have navigated tea takeover successfully have done so by
establishing clear timelines for outreach, town halls, listening sessions, and webinars before making these decisions. Approving any of the items on tonight's agenda gives sweeping and incredibly consequential power to the superintendent to do things that the
community may advocate against when setting those guard rails. We have heard the superintendent say there is a rush to implement changes such as reductions and force because we're at the end of the school year. However, this takeover must prioritize student outcomes first
and foremost. Our request is clear. Do not approve reductions in force tonight and set the guardrails first. Seek community input and then act. Our students futures depend on this board getting the process right, not just getting it done quickly.
>> Thank you, Mr. Leonard. Our next speaker, Diana Dearorf, and she will be followed by Martin Dah. >> Thank you for being here. >> Thank you. Good evening. I'm Da Deerdorf, a Fort Worth ISD parent and also a member of Fort. I think we all
agree in this room that the hard work of turning our schools around requires prioritizing student outcomes first. In support of this goal, you Dr. Lacata have asked families and staff to be stretched outside of their comfort zone. I am standing here tonight to ask you to
also stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone. Rather than exploring mass reductions in force, I challenge you to explore a way that might ask a little more effort on your part upfront in order to achieve greater student outcomes in the long run.
For campuses that have been newly identified as Elevate campuses, we ask you to consider giving them a probationary year, a year where they have extra supports, extra training, extra monitoring to see if they can improve before asking the entire staff
to reapply and switching the campus fully to the ACE model. Review the data from this school year and make the best and most informed decision for all of our students. It appears from the agenda materials for tonight that reductions in
force are planned for all Elevate campuses, even those campuses that are not currently identified at a as ACE model schools. Unlike the campuses that were previously identified as ACE schools, these new campuses identified as Elevate campuses have had no warning
period. Before these newly identified campuses are put into a new model, please consider what a year of extra support could first achieve on behalf of our students. Let's take Diamond Hill Elementary as an example. They received a D rating last year, but the year prior
to that, they received a C rating. And this year in the projections released for this year's rating, they've jumped up to a B rating. They've jumped up two scores. Diamond Hills, a campus where over 62%
of their learners are emergent bilingual. Not notably, they dipped down to a D-rating last year only after STAR required more typed responses, a particular challenge for our emergent bilingual students. One, their
administrators and staff met directly through really hard work. Their efforts paid off an improvement of two letter grades to a B- rating. that hard work should not be met with a demand that they reapply for their jobs. Teachers at all of these campuses have
proven they are working hard and improving student outcomes. Dr. Lacata, we urge you to pause and review the newly released projected ratings for the school campuses that you have marked as elevate campuses for this year. Instead
of putting them immediately into the ACE model, we ask that you offer a year of extra support before wiping the slate and starting over. What we are asking of you may require more effort and perhaps some discomfort. But as you have said, we have to prioritize student outcomes
even if those decisions are uncomfortable. >> Thank you, Miss Erdor. Next speaker is Martin Dah and he will be followed by Miss Kelly Decker. Good evening. I'm Martin D, chairman of Historic Fort Worth's public affairs
committee. Historic Fort Worth, Inc. is a 501c3 charitable preservation organization. The board of historic Fort Worth respect respectfully requests the new board of managers continue the efforts initiated by the previous board to find a solution
that ensures the preservation and continued viability of Ferington Field and the Billingsley Fieldhouse. We wholeheartedly agree with the reverent words of the writer John Henry that calls Fington Field a binding
thread in the story of Fort Worth regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or neighborhood. In 2021, Historic Fort Worth submitted the nomination for Fington Field to be considered for the National Register of Historic Places. We were happy to see
the National Park Service place both it and Billingsley Billingsley Fieldhouse in the National Register. As a result, future lees of Billingsley may be eligible for state historic tax credits
for rehabilitation work. We respectfully request your planning to include the following. locally landmark both athletic facilities. Ensure any future development respect the national
standing these two facilities already have garnered, i.e. follow the secretary of interior standards for treatment of historic properties. ensure the use of tracks under consideration complement the sports anchored theme already established by
Ferington and Billingsley and ensure continued viability of the facilities with accessible and affordable parking. Now, how does this affect student outcomes? Having tangible reminders of
history in your own community make book lessons more real and creates longlasting impressions. As a third grader at East Hanley Elementary in 1967,
this book, The Fort Worth Story, was part of my curriculum. It contains stories of this all-American city from where the west begins through a look towards the future. Of all the stories in this textbook, my
lasting memory is of the spring pallets fire. And why is that? Because the Alhane monument from the 1890s was still there in front of the TN station. And my dad would point it out to me as we
passed it on the downtown overpass. You remember the overpass? You could see it down there. And I just thought that was the coolest thing that this thing I saw in my textbook is right there visible. >> Thank you, Mr. Do. Appreciate your
comments. Next speaker is Miss Kelly Decker and she will be followed by Pamela Bennett. >> Hello and thank you for the three minutes. It's good for the lawyers. Uh my name is Kelly Deckard and I'm here to advocate for Monik Middle School, a
school that will soon be an elevate campus according to the agenda. I have currently two boys there. One has been there three years. I applaud you for the ambitious goals you're setting and it is all well and good in theory. I am very worried about
the execution especially of the staffing. Hope is not a plan. Last year we opened our doors without a full staff and throngs of pre-teens. I say throngs because I'm worried about saying a
hundred. I think it was a hundred but I'm not sure. Pre-teens did not have teachers for a double block schedule. They also had access to the internet. So clock that. It is a very real possibility that
despite your ambitiousness, you will not have teachers at these elevate schools. What will your plan B be? We had to go to a plan B when we did not have teachers and it created another mess. have your plan B ready while you're
building this model. Now, if I still have time, thank you for the three minutes. I wanted to say things that could be done over the summer for these Elevate campuses, especially ours. Number one, we need electronics before school starts. For the past three years,
we have not had our electronics on day one. When we get them, which is weeks later, they're not updated and they're not prepared to be actually distributed to the students. That's frustrating. Same with the paper and written
materials. We don't have the books before day one. We didn't have a copier for teachers to make copies. And please, this is not anybody before you's fault. I am not here to point fingers and I
hope that no one else will do that. Third, the mechanical systems at our school, which was on a closing agenda, don't work. You were disturbed by the bell. Wait till you hear the heater try to turn on. It tries to turn on every 10
seconds. That's really frustrating for learners. Wi-Fi. We need to have enough Wi-Fi. All of these Elevate campuses, I bet, have Wi-Fi issues. I know from personal experience that we're you're out there doing the star testing and all the
benchmark testing, but there's not enough Wi-Fi to power the system. Transportation. We have homeless students that take the city bus to school. They get off somewhere down on Camp Buouie and they walk to school at
all hours. I don't know why this school bus can't get them. It's probably something some real reason. But if you could partner with the city, perhaps you could get actual cars to take these homeless kids and drop them off back in
Denver. Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is Miss Pamela Bennett and she'll be followed by Stephanie Johnson. Miss Bennett, thank you for being here. >> Thank you. Good evening. My name is Pamela Bennett and I'm the family engagement specialist at EverJ Brisco
Elementary. A former parent of two For ISD students and they both attended EverJ Brisco. What I'm here for is about the closing of EverJ Brisco. If we are closed, we have a lot of students that walk to school. Over 75% of our school.
And as I talk to the other board, I welcome y'all to come out and walk with us just to see how many students walk home every day. When our students are it rains, our students still come after it stops raining. If y'all move us to
Morningside and Carl Peak from the farthest apartment complex, Morningside is 1.9 miles. From our the longest apartment complex to Carl Peak is 1.8 miles. The other board has said they will give us a bus. But the point of it
is our students if the parent students get sick, the parents have no way to go and pick up the students. They already walk to our campus to get their students when they're sick. Um other points is if the kid misses the school bus that y'all are going to supply for us, the students
will have to cross a railroad track. As I appointed with the other board, we had a train that had stopped on the track and the students going to the middle school climbed up under a running train to get to their facility. Just expect a three and four year old that do that. We
already have three and four year olds that walk to school. Their parents walk them every morning to school. So, they would have to cross a track to go to a a school that they know nothing about in an area that they would walk to if they would miss the school bus. We have over
22 different languages at our campus right now. So to move them and their parents, that would be a whole outlook because the parents right now trust the people that's in our building. For them to be a change, that would be a totally different change. Also, my opinion is if
you close us, a lot of our students that do attend a forward ISD school will end up going to another school because for one thing, they will have to catch a ride with someone and a lot of these other students already attend schools that are not forward schools. Uh, other
points I would like to make to y'all is a lot of our students have after school programs. We have 60 students that after school program. If they're moved to another campus and have to get on the bus to go home, they will miss to have
the activity to be in a forest after school program. We have a lot of tutoring programs at our campus which helps the students with what they need. I have me being the fair uh what I do. I help more parents than just with other
things outside as enrolling and we have a food pantry for the community, not just for our campus. We have a closed closet to help parents in our community. Thank you, >> Miss Bennett. Just if you'll wait just a moment. But first, I want to your commend you for your tireless advocacy
on behalf of your students. I've heard you come to so many schoolboard meetings and stand up for our kids, the kids that you serve. So, thank you for continuing to do that. Dr. Lacata would would like to speak to you as well. Miss Spencer, would you please meet with this
wonderful person who represents our children and report to me in the morning on what is going on? I want to make sure that we are adequately supplying the right bus, making sure they're not in a dangerous situation and make sure that some of her concerns because she is here for her children and her students. Uh, and that's just admirable and we have to
respect that. So, thank you. >> And who would you like her to meet with? >> Miss Spencer is here. >> Miss Spencer. All right. Thank you, Miss Bennett. Next speaker is Stephanie Johnson and she'll be followed by Monica Dwanus. >> Hello. Good evening. That is really hard
to follow and she didn't look at notes or anything, but I have mine so that I can stick to it. Okay. So, good evening, president and board of managers and superintendent. My name is Stephanie Johnson and I am a licensed master social worker. My job title is intervention specialist. I've been a
school social worker for 20 years and a Fort Worth ISD intervention specialist for the past 14. I'm here to advocate for our department of intervention specialists regarding regarding any program changes that may affect our positions as we support many elevate
elevate campuses as well as to clarify the true scope of our work which is not fully captured by our title. While intervention is often associated with academics in Fort Worth ISD, intervention specialists are licensed mental health professionals. Similar to
health services that student or school nurses provide, intervention specialists provide school-based mental health services and resources. We serve in critical roles that impact school safety, campus climate, and student success. Much of our work occurs
quietly. The student who stays in school because we helped them secure transportation. The family we connected to community resources that gained stability. The crisis that we resolved before it disrupted the classroom. The relationships that we mediated and
restored. The panic attack or emotional outburst that we assisted in regulating. These outcomes don't make the headlines. Yet, it's the intervention specialists that are doing the work. We also serve as the district's crisis response team. We conduct threat assessments, respond
to emergencies, and support campuses that are experiencing tragedy. We do this through crisis counseling and recovery. We are trained to assess risk, act quickly, and connect students and families to the resources and assistance they need. As Fort Worth ISD moves
forward, I urge you to recognize that intervention specialists are not an extra support. We are an essential human support. We bridge mental health and education, prevent crisis, and directly support academic outcomes. If our
positions were removed, the needs would remain and the burden and costs would shift elsewhere. Our students deserve emotional safety in order to learn. It's our hope that the new board and administration continue to support and recognize our role in Fort Worth ISD so
that our critical work can continue for the staff, students, and families who depend on it every day. Thank you all for your time and your commitment to the students of Fort Worth. >> Thank you for your presentation. Next speaker is Monica Dwanus and the
she will be followed by Drew Brown. >> Good evening, Dr. Luca and members. I want to apologize if my English is not perfect, but I will try to communicate um as better as I can with you. I'm here
as a mom of George C. Clark students. I have three kids right there. One of them is an autistic kid and they help me really a lot um making a progress with one of
my kids. Now he's speaking. One of my kids is going to join the army this year. Um so I would like to address several important concerns regarding our school community. First, I would like to
express my support for our teachers and advocate for allowing them to remain in their positions without the need to reapply. We have really good teachers. They are really committed every time. Um
they um sorry um stability among educators is essential for maintaining consistent trust and possib posivity learning environment for our students. Not all
the teachers learn the same way. We cannot uh ask that um the school try to put uh them on the um elevate um new program. It's not that it's going to
help our our students. Um I'm personally involved in all the activities of the school. I'm a PTO member. I'm every day there. And I'm not saying this because it's not true. every day morning and
evening trying to help all the teachers. I I see how they struggle with the material, with books, with everything they need. Um I see how they make the
best effort to be on time to um teach sports. So, I'm just trying to be here and express for all the members of our community and give the chance to not base um what the school is in just one
test cuz MAP is not our teachers. It's not our students. There are more than that and we need more time to prove. I know that this year they make better grades because one of my kids it's a um
talent a kid. So if one of my kids can make that, I'm pretty sure that the rest of the kids can do that. So it's just time what they need to prove what they are to improve the grades to show that not everybody is the same and not
everybody learns the same way. Thank you. Thank you for your being here tonight. Next speaker is Drew Brown. And Drew Brown will be followed by Whitney Peters. Okay. Is Drew Brown present?
Okay, Miss Peters, could you please come forward? >> Sorry, my notes just closed. >> Hi y'all. How's it going? I'm Whitney Peters. Um, I um, thank you for letting me speak to you today. I am a demonstration teacher here in Fort Worth
ISD. I worked I currently work at the International Newcomer Academy or INA um, where we teach first language uh, first year and second language newcomer. um students. I've also served in leadership roles at Polytenic and OD Wyatt High School and I continue to
advocate for emerging bilingual and newcomer students. I am speaking today regarding the pillar 2 excellent instruction and particularly where you state alignment must translate into daily instruction uh specifically managed instruction. So I am here
because our special populations, particularly newcomer students, never received adequately paced or adequately scaffold curriculum. Um, and I'm afraid the instructional plans moving forward risk deepening that
inequality. I'm not blaming the writers. Um, curriculum writers were pushed beyond sustainable limits under impossible timelines this year. While teachers we were told to comply, oh yeah, keep complying. Oh, this isn't
working. Keep complying. As a result, language center teachers were required to teach grade level curriculum at the same pace as native language speakers. This is not equitable. While EB scaffolds were later
added to the English curriculum thanks to our EB department being asked to step in, the micromanaged lessons were still insufficient for beginning to intermediate students who we teach and who are throughout our whole campuses throughout the district. Beyond
curriculum, I noticed that the EB department was also held back in their historical capacity to help our campuses. We never heard from the EB department. If special population teachers and schools are expected to use the same exact curriculum this year, then
different pacing and intentional scaffolds must be included. For example, one of my co-workers right now, she just said the Blue Bonnet math HQIM curriculum explicitly states this is not for beginners. So, what will be provided
for beginners this next year? I'm not asking for watered down instruction. My students are Super Bowl capable. They were writing uh twos on the short constructed responses. They were writing threes on our essays this year. They're capable, but we need more scaffolds. We
need time to go a little slower and to go deeper into our content. And we were not allowed to do that this year, even when we asked for it. Um, another reality I really want to share with y'all is that this year many educators experienced unfinished curriculum throughout different contents. And also,
our voices did not want to be heard. We really felt this year that we were silenced. In my 11 years in Fort with ISTD, I've not experienced this level of pressure to keep doing something that I knew wasn't working. So, what specific actions can we ensure that special populations will we give equitable
pacing and scaffolds? Thank you all for your time. >> Thank you, Miss Thank you, Mr. Ch Miss Peters. Our next speaker is Keith Annis and he will be followed by Laura Obachowski.
Good evening. My name is Keith Annis. I'm a Fort Worth ISD parent, past PTA volunteer, and member of FW Fort Fork. Tonight, this board is voting on actions that will affect 25 campuses, transfer public land to private developers, and
restructure the entire district, all in a single meeting. I have five questions that I believe deserve answers. One, tonight's agenda includes closing six schools and reconstituting reconstituting 19 others and a riff resolution with broad language about
program change and redirecting resources. So I ask plainly, is there any scenario in the turnaround plan that ends with Fort Worth ISD becoming a charterrun or privately managed district? This is a yes or no question.
Second, your elevate presentation clearly defines how a school enters the program, but nowhere in tonight's presentation is there a single benchmark for how a school exits or the district exits. How long this continues or who declares
it over? What specific, measurable, and unmendable benchmarks must be met for local control to be restored to an elected board and who has the authority to declare those conditions met. Again, I want to stress un amendable. We saw
recently that Houston met all of the criteria and the goalposts were moved. Third, the Elevate model tonight. Resident teachers, learning facilitators, standardized classroom, standardized cookie cutter uh lessons, reconstituted
campuses operationally resembles a charter model. Do you intend to expand charter schools inside Fort Worth ISD boundaries as part of this turnaround or is your plan strictly to strengthen districtrun schools?
Fourth, tonight, this board is considering transferring seven tracks of public land to a private developer and authorizing an unelected superintendent and board of managers to execute those agreements. Who ultimately decides the final governance structure of Fort Worth
ISD? Is it you? Is it district administration? Or is it Commissioner Matt Morra or possibly the governor? and what is the specific mechanism by which this community has a meaningful voice in that decision. Fifth, and finally,
tonight you are closing and reconstituting 25 campuses while en enrollment continues to decline. Charter expansion has documented harmful effects on neighborhood schools and communities. What specific guard rails will you advocate for to prevent neighborhood
schools from being further destabilized during this turnaround? And is that commitment anywhere in writing? I have heard the term radical transparency used. Answering and holding to these answering and holding to those answers is my definition of radical
transparency. Thank you. >> You know, I ask that everyone please review the agenda. uh the some the representations were regarding what's on the agenda tonight uh that were just
shared with the with the body here is are are not accurate. I just feel like it's important to correct that we are not going to be selling any land. We're not going to be u making a decision on on Ferington Field and and other matters. But I'd ask everyone please do
review the agenda. So we make sure that we will stick by the agenda and u I want to make sure everybody is accurately informed about what is on the agenda and as Miss Bills pointed out uh our agenda last week had some holes and our agenda
this week was thorough and and covered everything that we'll talk about tonight. So thank you. Um our next speaker is Laura Obachowski and she will be followed by Marisol Herrera. Good evening, Dr. Lacata, board
president Garin, and members of the board of managers. My name is Laura Obachowski. I'm here this evening um in multiple roles as a parent of a child with an IEP in this district. Um a Fort Worth ISD employee, a taxpayer, and a community member with a strong
investment in the success of our schools. Um first, I would like to say happy autism month. And it's with a spirit of advocacy for this group of students that I come before you today, especially those with profound autism. I would like to address action item uh 6C,
the resolution declaring a reduction in force due to a program change as outlined on pages 37 through 39 of tonight's agenda. The resolution states that the purpose of the program change is to improve efficiency and to redirect resources in ways that positively impact
students at the affected campuses. As this decision is implemented, I believe it's important to be intentional and explicit in centering students with disabilities. This includes students receiving speech therapy services only, um those receiving inclusion and/or
resource support, and students served in self-contained special education classrooms, not solely students who are on the cusp of meeting state testing standards. While overall general education enrollment in this district um has
declined, our special education population has not followed the same trend. In fact, both the numbers of students receiving special education services and the complexity of their needs have increased. I respectfully request that the board of managers
consider reviewing detailed enrollment and staffing trend data comparing special education and general education populations. not only at the campuses affected by this resolution, but districtwide, so that decisions related
to staff um reductions and workforce reductions are grounded in the current realities of who is being served. Students with IEPs depend on highly trained uh educators, pair professionals, related service and therapy providers, and evaluation
specialists. These positions are already among the most difficult to staff and retain an instability whether related to the ongoing uncertainty around the state takeover um reassignments, vacancies,
toxic work culture or the loss of experienced personnel can have a disproportionate impact on students with disabilities who often require greater predictability, consistency and implementation of specialized instruction with fidelity. in the district's if the district's
intent is to redirect resources in ways that positively impact students, I encourage the board to consider pairing this program change with a clear commitment to working conditions that support the recruitment, retention, and professional growth of special education teachers, paras, and service providers.
Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Marisol Herrera, but I'd like to ask Marisol if you'd pause just for a moment. Dr. Lacata has a couple of introduction or three introductions he would he would like to make.
>> At this time, I'd like to turn over the microphone to Dr. Daniel Ciz, our deputy superintendent and chief of schools for an introduction as these highquality educators and leaders uh have flown in tonight and they must leave for the
airport shortly. So, sir, >> thank you, Superintendent Lacata. I do want to take a moment and acknowledge our regional chiefs that are in the room. So, regional chiefs, when your names are called, if you could just please stand for your acknowledgement. Uh, introducing regional chief for the
Elevate Network, that's Mr. Shawn Joseph, regional chief for the central region, Dr. Kendra Tyler, regional chief for the South region, Isaac Williams, and unable to join us today as he is
still serving at Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, regional chief for the North region, Pablo Rendes. >> Thank you, Mr. Sullies. Thank you. Thank you, board president, for allowing me that time. All right. Well, our our
next speaker is Mayor Saul Herrera, and she will be followed by Nidia Cardinis. And I may have mispronounced Nidia or Nidia. I apologize. I'll stand I'll be corrected when you come to the podium,
Nick. So, thanks, Miss Herrera. >> Right. Good evening. Good evening, Dr. Lata and members of the board. My name is Maris Soera. I am a parent in Fort Worth ISD and I'm also the vice president of the Fort Worth ISD council of PTAs. And it's under that role that I
am addressing you today. I was um contacted by the PTA at Cesar Travis Elementary School recently. I am actually um as an advocate and community member of all the PTAs in North Side and Diamond Hill. So I have close connections with all the PTAs up there.
and they were concerned because they heard about the fact that their campus was going to be um changed names and they got the letter, they got the, you know, the link to the thought exchange, but it was just they they just had a lot of questions, right? Um and so the
concern is that they need more time, more transparency. So I was happy to hear that you're doing a town hall on the 20th. Um, but after speaking to the PTA and I also reached out to the principal, I offered to help facilitate some community listening sessions so we can think through possibilities for new
names because we think it is super important that the community itself have genuine and authentic participation in this process. Um, it's not just a school with any name. It is a Latino uh primarily Latino community and it was a Latino um civil rights leader who had
the name of that school. So, we believe that's super important to not just pass by. Um, we would like for those uh listening sessions to take place for them to be multiple, for them to really be able to engage um the parents and the stakeholders, the students as well.
Right now, they're in the middle of state state testing. So, it's really hard for the principal to do anything um in the middle of testing. So, the request is to extend the community input to May 15th. Now, I know that there's a deadline because of, you know, building
whatever, but if you could um extend it to May 15th, that would give us in the community enough time to engage everybody meaningfully. In addition, since I have a minute left um to the Cesar Chavez campus, I also would like to address the Cesar Chavez day that you
guys are going to be um looking to get rid of basically. Um I understand I understand that it was something that came down from the governor. I would like you to consider keeping a day of service for the Latino community. Either way, you can rename it. You can choose
another date. I would suggest Dolores Wuerta's birthday is April 10th. So, the Monday before Dolores Wuerta's birthday, you can call it Dolores Werta Day or you can call it something else. But the important thing was that it was a Latino
day of service. That was the important thing. The important thing was that we as a Latino community came together. We talked about the civil rights movement. We talked about how we could engage in our community and as a PTA leader, we used that time to really engage our community. Please do not just get rid of
it. Think about the other options. And I am happy to work with you on that. >> Thank you for your comments, Miss Miss Cardinas next. and then she'll be followed by Mary Reynolds.
>> Hello, my name is Nidia Cardinas and I'm not here as a parent or an educator. Um, I'm here as the product of Footworth ISD of a different time. I attended Morningside Middle School during which I took a bus to Mississippi and learned about the Battle of Vixsburg, a critical
location during the Civil War. As an eighth grader, I participated in a forworth ISD program called Hispanic Youth Promoting Excellence, where I read literature by Latino Writers from Many Countries. I learned to do public speaking through the program's performing arts component. After graduating as valadictorian of Northside
High School, I went on to study mechanical engineering at Stanford and eventually got an MBA from the University of Michigan. In my Fworth ISD, I learned about slavery and our ugly history as a country. I had opportunities to see myself represented in literature. This all during a time
before the coordinated attack and undermining of public education over the last decade. I know you rightfully plan I know you rightfully plan to rename Cesar Chavez Elementary School and I'm here to ask you how the renaming can actually become an educational opportunity for kids and community to
navigate a history of harm and figure out new representation for Latino children and families. TEA has removed our elected leadership. That's why you're here. and we have no way to hold you all accountable other than to follow district policies. And tonight, you're voting to update the policy for renaming
facilities. And you've used the word may. The district may solicit ideas for renaming our new facilities. And I'd like to suggest you trade it out for a different Mword must. That you must actually solicit ideas. As my said, I encourage you to give the time the community the time they deserve
to find a new name. And instead of rushing through its renaming, let's model intentional and inclusive leadership that understands that we shouldn't be afraid of learning our history. We should be afraid of repeating it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next speaker is Mary Reynolds and Miss
Reynolds will be followed by Pastor Craig Pull. >> Okay, that's a little bit difficult to follow, but I wanted to I wanted to thank y'all for having me here and thank you for your continued attention. This is quite a I know I
would be I would struggle with that, but I am a parent of a first grader um who attends George C. Clark Elementary and I care very deeply about his education. Uh we we sent him to Trinity Episcopal
School. He also ascended attended UCCC weekday and those schools were amazing and I really struggled where to put him. Um luckily a friend recommended um George C. Clark and he has my son has thrived
there. It's been absolutely amazing. Um he's what was it? is his reading scores improved 22 points between first of the year and the middle testing and his math scores improved 16 points. He has a
group of he has a group not only his first grade teacher but so many people around him that he can trust and the communication with the teachers has been great. So, I will say that um I I've read about
this meeting in the Fort Worth Star Telegram and it said that um the reduction in force would be limited to campuses that were already going to be closing due to the declining enrollment, but it seems now that on the agenda
you're planning on a much wider reduction in force. Mhm. >> Um, yeah, it it's very frustrating to hear about that and I have a place where my son is thriving.
He's doing so well and he loves it and yeah I just don't want I think that our teachers our teachers face amazing like difficult odds amazingly difficult odds and I apologize for not being as
eloquent with my with my words but yeah um your stated goals are to improve educational outcomes And I honestly struggle to see how a significant reduction in force is going to help
that. Like the the children that my son attends schools with, they all know and love the teachers that they have. So, I I would encourage and I'm also not affiliated with Fort, but I would encourage their recommendations to
pause, gather more community feedback, set some guard rails, and then make a decision. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your presentation, >> Pastor Cullen. And Pastor Pull will be followed by Kev Tatum.
Okay, good evening. I am uh Craig Pullum. I am the pastor of the Shallow Church on the north side of Fort Worth and I am the president of the Baptist Ministers Union of Fort Worth. And I'm here asking and we're asking for clarity and fairness in the process used to
recommend principal non-renewals. Currently, the criteria being used appears inconsistent and unclear, especially when campuses rated F or D are not recommended for elevate, but principles are still recommended for
non-renewal. Transparency must be established. All principles and executive directors deserve clear communication about the criteria used for nonrenewal um or forced resignation.
So there is a concerning pattern in leadership decisions. Data trends show black and brown principles are being recommended for nonrenewal at disproportionate rates particularly under certain administrative leadership.
And in several cases vacancies created by those removals have been filled by others raising questions about equity and due process. Now for me personally if these principles are less qualified
or have less experience then I understand that but if they are on the same level um I think that due process due process should be had. So to summarize because I have more notes but I am a preacher. Um, many speakers have
asked for a delay in reduction in force, implement guard rails, and seek community input. And I would ask that you would consider probation for one year for all staff, a year for extra support. Um, and uh we I would agree. We
would agree with these recommendations. At the end of the day, this is not about the adults in the room. It's about the children in our classrooms. And I know that you know that um every child deserves a school system where leadership decisions are fair,
equitable, and transparent. Thank you. >> Thank you, Pastor Ker. Next speaker is Reverend KF Tatum and uh Reverend Tatum will be followed by Alexander Montalvo. >> Thank you, Mr. Garin, and Mr.
Superintendent and board. Um, I'd like to state my name is KF Tatum. I pastor the New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and serve as president of the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas. Before I begin my presentation, I would just like to chime in with some of the
old Feritan Field fellas uh in the 80s. Uh, it was because of that old Feritan Field, old pole boy from Southeast Fort Worth was able to leave Fort Worth. I played football for Trimbletech High School. Was able to make turn uh all district all turn county catching a
football. It was my hands catching a football and being able to run very fast was the reason why I was able to get out of Fort Worth. I wasn't academically gifted or prepared. But because I could catch a football, it allowed me to go to Charlton State University for two years and then on to the University of North
Texas and graduate and played for the mean green eagles and Corki Nelson. So I too have fond memories of that field and I'd like for it to be used for something very promising for the future of Fort Worth Texas. So I can always remember those good old days at Fitton Field. Uh
like Pastor Pulum, I too am a preacher and I could get long- winded uh probably a little longer than him because I did play football and ran pretty fast. So I'm going to try to read my notes and I hope this is the beginning of a dialogue and not the ending. uh because we're
representing three uh historically African-American clergy organizations between the Baptist Ministers Union, the Pentecostal Ministers Union, and the Ministers Justice Coalition coming together at this historic moment to make sure our African-American students,
teachers, and staff receive equitable treatment during this process of transformation. Based on the information we have, the proposed program changes in the 19 elevated A schools will result in 13
African-American female principles. That's 68% reapplying or resigning. This high number is troubling as it falls as it fails to include all schools and leaders
with current DRF ratings. Targeting the performance of these committed leaders is disproportionate and it's discriminatory. Many of these targeted school leaders have served the district in many capacities for many years. They have led
these proposed elevated schools without the necessary financial staffing or differentiated support. Therefore, we are requesting we are demanding that they be allowed to remain in the
district and to continue to support their schools and communities with the proposed support. Effective immediately, we call upon the district school leadership to demonstrate reasonable equity and
transparency in the treatment of African-American principles. Thank you. And may God bless you. Thank you, Reverend Tatum. >> Excuse me, just Pastor Reverend Tatum. Um, I'm sorry if you'll give me just a moment. Um, you probably don't remember,
and I don't want to put you on the spot, but my mother taught you in elementary school, Miss Anne Williams. Um, she passed away several years ago, but I wanted you to know that, um, I think all of us, you know, we remember our favorite teacher, but teachers remember
some of their favorite students. and um she remembered you. So >> if we're going to remember Reverend Tatum's favorite teachers, I also have to me mention Sarah Vulkar, his favorite English teacher at Arlington at Treble Techch High School.
>> Our next speaker is Alexander Montalvo and he will be followed by Steven P who is our last speaker signed up for tonight. Mr. Montalva. >> All right. So, this is what the great Texas coup of
Fort Worth ISD looks like. I'm glad to be present with everyone. Before I go and expand into my frustrations with what is happening here, uh, especially with you, Pete, directly, I'll provide a little bit of
my credentials and perspectives since some of y'all may not know who I am. My wife and I have been fourth ISD parents for the last 14 years. Our eldest is currently at Texas State and graduated from Western Hills High School with a saludiatoran and was a head drum
drum major in her senior year. Our youngest is currently in eighth grade at Leonard Middle School and has repeated twice as first chair flute in all regional band and was also first share district under the guidance and
leadership of an amazing band director, Miss Trevino, and the amazing program she's built there where over the last four years they've earned UIL sweep stakes. Now, I know Leonard Middle School is often slighted by folks, um, but this middle school has been able to
create an amazing program with amazing teachers like her and other folks who are doing great work on that campus. I share that also to share that as a parent, I've been an community advocate, education advocate for over a decade. I've served roles in campus leadership,
district leadership around community engagement, whether it be PTAs or other organizations. And so I stand here frustrated and angry with what is happening to our district, to these students, and to our communities.
And while I have zero trust in this cosplay collection of leadership in front of me, I do know that there may be a few of you that genuinely care and are trying to do what y'all can. But just trust they stack the deck against you
because the majority here are not here to accomplish the things we want to see. This has been a dismantling of public education that Pete and his brother Charlie, who's a part of the state legislature, have helped participate in
for over the last decade plus by expanding the landscape locally. That was Pete's one of Pete's big roles with charter expansion to extract students to extract teachers, extract talent from Fort Worth ISD while using the Sid
Richardson Foundation to nominally fund education efforts around parent engagement literacy. But that was never going to be up to scale because forth ISTD has over 60,000 and at one point almost 80,000 students. Now, Charlie was at the Texas legislature to help impact
public education funding so that districts like forth IC didn't get the funds that they should have had to serve these students. I'm here to motivate and help encourage our parents, our community to fight what is happening here because we do not
have our interest and we should not be forfeiting that. We should be replacing you as soon as possible by getting better representation in our state and local government. >> Thank you, Mr. Montalva.
>> And next speaker is Steven P. >> Good evening, board of managers, Mr. Garin and Dr. Lacata. I'm Steven P, the executive director of UVA. And there's three points I want to make to you tonight before you uh get to agenda item C, action item C, the possible reduction
in force due to a program change. The first is it is out in the open in Fort Worth. For the last 10 years, we've had a decline in student enrollment. There's been plenty of ink in the local media spilled about the reasons why, speculation why. But what hasn't been
public is that the district has managed their staffing levels as the student declinement or enrollment has declined. The number of teachers and other staff has declined as well. But all of that work has been done behind the scenes.
There has been no reduction in force. No one has ever lost their job. It was all done through attrition. As people retire or resign at the end of the school year, other people are slotted into those positions. So just by adding a possible
reduction in force increases the anxiety in the district. You see it in the room and I can guarantee you that anxiety spills beyond this room among the parents, community and staff. The second is there is no need to do a
reduction in force. You have a lot of moving parts right now. You have school closures, ACE campus reorganization, and now elevate school reorganization. All of that change can still be handled through attrition.
On average, you hire about 600 teachers every year due to resignation and retirements. And if the indication of the job fairs and surrounding districts, the the crowds going to the job fairs, that number will probably be higher this year. There are places for all impacted
employees under this reduction in force in attrition as people leave the district. And the third thing I want to uh say is that a reduction in force due to a program change is not based on the
performance of the individuals. It is a numbers situation not individual performance. They need to be treated with respect throughout this entire process. So as the agenda item comes up and I agenda item C, Mr. Garin and Dr. Lacata,
please share the plan on what you have in mind, not only for the staff that may be retained at these schools, but the staff that may be displaced by all these changes. There is a place in Fort Worth for them. We should respect the value
they bring to the schools individually and our district collectively and find a way to retain every employee in this district. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. P. >> That concludes our list of speakers. Let me go back real quickly and uh Mr. Drew
Brown was not here when he was called. Has Mr. Brown arrived since then? All right, that does conclude our our list of speakers tonight. For the night, I want to thank everyone for being here. Appreciate your your commitment to
improving student outcomes for all of our kids. Now, we'll turn it over to Dr. Lacata for presentations. Good evening. I'd like to turn the presentation over to
Miss Spencer to introduce their speakers and we hope to hear some great information about some topics that uh some folks were here to talk about and to have the memories of playing in those fields because it was quite a unique experience to walk through that hallowed area this weekend. I was really just
taken a back. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening, President Garren, Superintendent Lacata, Board of Managers. Uh, this evening tonight, we have with us um our our council who has been guiding us through the compliance pieces surrounded um through the
proposed Ferington Field project. And so tonight, they will share that information with you publicly so that you can see the process that we have gone through and the next steps that may be asked of you. So tonight, Brian Nubie and Caroline Garcia are here with us. Oh, I do. You want me to click for you?
>> Okay. Okay, >> President Garren, Dr. Lacata, thank you for the opportunity to to present for you uh today. You know, transparency is what this is all about. And what you saw in transparency is a number of folks who got up and talked about Fington Field.
It is a jewel in this community. Any of us who uh who were participated in athletics as a member of Fort Worth ISD can tell you about all the glorious days that we had uh at Fington Field. We need to make sure that that is a jewel that
we continue uh to to shine as much as possible. John Henry, I think most of you have uh have seen these quotes before and you've heard it uh through public comment as well. It's important that this community look at this particular resource and
figure out how can we safeguard the resource. And it's interesting that Dr. Ryan got up and talked about it because the board prior to you sitting here was single-mindedly focused. They were single-mindedly focused on ensuring that
what happened with that facility was what was in the best interest of not only Fort Worth ISD but the entire city of Fort Worth. And that's one of the goals that this whole process is going through. You know,
that facility has tens of millions of dollars of need and the focus needs to be on how can we ensure that those needs are met and at the same time providing an opportunity for the facility to be used in the
future. You know, there are significant ADA compliance upgrades that are necessary. If you are in a wheelchair and you want to go buy a ticket at Ferington Field, you're going to have a difficult time. If you want to use the restrooms there, you're going to have a difficult time. If you need to use an
elevator there, you're going to have a very, very difficult time. The locker rooms need renovation. And there's safety improvements that need to be made as well. That's the reason that we're focused on making sure that if we do a renovation, we do that renovation the right way.
So, uh, Fort Worth ISD hired me and my law firm and Caroline to to work on what we call the Ferington Field project. And it's important for you to understand that project. This is a project, as I said, with that single-minded focus. It's one where
we're trying to determine, is there the ability to obtain funding that can be focused right back onto the stadium. And what the developers will be looking at and what we've asked developers to look at is is there a way that we can ensure
that up to $250 million in additional uh benefit can come to this community as a result of what we do with that stadium at the same time that we improve the stadium itself. There's been reference to it and I
actually brought a copy of it with me. If you if you've not had an opportunity to look at this Fort Worth report article that relates to Fington Field, please do so because it gives you a great history of what's happened with that stadium. So, how did we get here?
We got here because your previous board was interested and really wanted to ensure that that legacy be saved. The board also wanted to ensure that that stadium become a public stadium that all of the public could use. And we also
were interested in ensuring that as this as we were partnering that we were partnering with the city of Fort Worth because the city of Fort Worth said, you know what, if if we can improve the stadium, we might be able to do it in such a way that the Westside tax
increment reinvestment zone will be triggered and funding from that zone could be used as part of the process of renovating the stadium itself. So what we looked at is whether or not there could be a declaration of surplus
property. Now the Texas Education Code allows for designations of surplus property under certain circumstances. And so what the staff has done is ask myself and other lawyers to determine whether or not we're going to meet the tests for being able to designate
property as being surplus. And if it is a test that we meet, then you will be asked to consider it. No determination is being made today. No determination is going going to be made until you have all of the evidence in front of you and you make that decision on behalf of the
citizens of Fort Worth. The one thing the staff has done is said, you know what, if we're going to look at the stadium, we're going to try to determine whether or not there might be some proposed uses that complement the stadium itself. So there could be a
mixeduse development focused on sports and entertainment that ties back into the stadium. And if we could do that in such a way that is positive for not only uh the Fort Worth ISD but also the entire city that's a win-win for all of
us. And al as you've seen uh you know Fort Worth is that that city that is interested in its history and preserving that history. And part of that history is Fington Field. So where are we? So back in the fall of
last year, the previous board said, "Let's look at what opportunities might be out there." And part of that was going out and requesting a proposal from the community. So we did what's called a request for proposal that was uh put together during the fall of last year
and issued in January of this year. So January 20th, that request for proposal was issued and it has to be published and we'll we'll I'll show you the publication here in a second, but it's important that you see the timing of this. This has been something that the
previous board looked at but was not able to act upon until all of the pieces were put together. The pieces weren't put together until January of this year. And of course, it takes a while for that whole process to work through. The request for proposal was for that
mixeduse sports anchored development and the publication looks like that was published in the commercial reporter. That is the the opportunity for the public to understand that there's been a request
for the possibility that that property might be used in a mixeduse uh development and it might be uh put in a position where it could it could be sold. And so that's exactly what was designated in the publication.
Let me go back one. Ah, here we go. Uh, seven tracks were identified. And you see when you in your package, you're going to see that there were seven tracks that were looked at. These are tracks that surround Fington Field. The stadium itself
is not part of the land that's being considered. It's the land that's around Fington Field. And the seven tracks were identified because as as the surveyors and appraisers looked at the property, they said, you can actually divide this into different tracks. And it doesn't
have to be all just one mixeduse project. It could be one mixeduse project, could be multiple projects. But at the same time, let's look at what the opportunities are that are there. And so when those requests for proposals were sought, they were sought for all seven
of those tracks. But what came back? What came back were two proposals. Those two proposals were received on March the 20th. And the proposals were somewhat complimementaryary of each other but at
the same time they were there was a need to get clarification on exactly what it was that those who were responding to the request for proposal were willing to provide as part of their recommendations for the property. So we had clarifying questions that were asked. We also
interviewed those two proposal responders and through that we had an opportunity to evaluate it and score it. That scoring process has just been completed and staff is compiling recommendations and we'll talk about
those recommendations when we get into executive session. But just know that that process uh is the same process that goes through that the procurement staff goes through for every RFP. And that's the process that's being undertaken here today.
So next steps, the next steps are going to be staff recommendations. Those recommendations may be recommendations you accept. They may be recommendations that you don't accept. You may say, "Start the whole process over." You may say, "We accept the recommendations and
it's time to move forward." If it is time to move forward, what we'll look at is whether or not we can negotiate terms with the responder that is designated as the winner and negotiate for potential sale of land. And then obviously there will be ancillary contracts that will go
along with that and we'll help you through that process. If there is a sale of land, not saying that there will be, but if there is one, it can only happen after you have declared surplus property. And that's what the board of managers will be asked to do. So you'll have a lot of input
through that whole process where you will make that determination. Should we declare the property that's surrounding either one, two, three, all seven of those sur of those tracks that were identified as being surplus property. And if you do, then you may authorize
the superintendent to enter into a stadium redevelopment plan, uh, sell the land, and then any ancillary agreements that go along with that. So, there's a lot that's still to be done. Unfortunately, I can't get into those details in public yet. Uh, you don't
want your lawyer talking about uh these types of areas until you're u until you're ready to make decisions on it. And we'll have an opportunity to give you a little bit more background in executive session. But that gives you a really good uh uh overview of the
process that we got to that we've gone through to get to where we are today and the process that we'll go through to take the next steps. Dr. Lana, >> let me just say something quickly and and thank you very much Mr. Dubbie Newbie for giving us that overview because as you could tell by some of the
questions there has been some misperceptions in our community and it is a crown jewel. Uh I can remember glorious days on Fington Field and I can remember more that weren't so glorious, but I've got a lot of memories from that place and it it's such an important part
of our community. So, thanks for sharing that with our audience today. Um, we take our charge very seriously. What happens with that crown jewel? I'll like to hate to give a Pascal guy credit for anything, but Dan Jenkins once observed
that Fort Worth is the only major city in America that has its high school football stadium and its rodeo arena in its cultural district and and for good reason. >> Thank you, Mr. Navy. Thank you. >> Good evening again. Uh in the sake of
time, we'll try and get through these first few slides which belong to me uh in our presentation for the Fort Worth model. It's the model that fits us. It's a combination of many models that I've been associated with
that I've led as well as others from around the country. It's important that we understand that as we move through this and as we talk about this, let's keep in mind our objective and goal is to have every kid proficient in reading
and math, not growth, but proficient. So we can empty out the Dickies Arena with two sets of children. Think about that again. I'm going to nod my head so you can change the slides. >> Understood. >> I think we've talked about these pillars
enough, but everything revolves around what's up top, and that's student achievement. Everything we do has to revolve around what is best and most successful for students. Waiting and waiting does not help those students. They don't have time to lose a year or
another year. Their time is now. They won't see third grade again. they won't see fourth grade again. We need to make sure that when they're leaving, we have them at proficiency and it takes immediate and courageous action. All of us will be uncomfortable. We also know
that the second one is focusing on teachers and that's that's the heart and soul of what we do. They're the ones in the classroom making the difference and we have to support them. I've said this publicly before. We are not pointing at f fingers at teachers. we are making sure that we support them and our
leaders are the ones that may need to move that. We have to have the curriculum that surrounds around the standard. The third one of course is making sure they're paid appropriately and that is going to be the focus of this model to make sure that we get the very best that
are interested in going there. Principles, assistant principles and our teachers and our ESSE specialists and our ESE aids because I heard that loud and clear because one of my daughters is an autistic teacher. uh children for with autism. I understand that and we
have to make sure they are valued in the classroom are able to make the difference and comfortable at home. Our fourth, we know that our students are not college and career or military ready at the rate they should be. So, we have to focus in on that. And finally, a facility and an organization that has
put all its energy into the schools, into the students, and into supporting those students. This is an important graph. First time I met these wonderful people to my right and left, this is what I showed them.
These are eight large districts in Texas. The bottom line is Fort Worth. That is not what I understand the community wants and that is not what Fort Worth is about. Because I've been here 3 weeks and I've heard and I know
and I feel it how great this place is. And we have to make sure that says 38%. That's those 24,914 students. And I thank you, Mr. Chowy, for providing that exact number for me last week.
No one's comfortable with that number. No one can wait. No one's happy about that because this is their chance. These are the students that'll be our future and our teachers and our schools have that opportunity to change the future.
So, we have to focus on that. Math, yes, the bottom one is Fort Worth as well. I understand the uncomfortable nature of a process and change, but these are the folks that we need to worry about. These young men and women
that are not proficient. We don't have time. They don't have time. We have to be focused on children. It's difficult. Change is hard. But our efforts are about children. where we are. We know, we've heard
tonight, enrollment is declining, very similar to all the major cities in across the United States. Students have more options. After CO, many of them decided to stay home. We have virtual learning. Folks aren't having as many children anymore. And there are other educational
opportunities out there. We understand our challenge, but we also know we have to focus on the students we have, not the students we don't have. We have way too many students that are not proficient. This is the heart and soul of our economy, the heart and soul
of our community. I spoke to businessmen last businessmen and women last week and without an educated workforce or an educated consumer that dwindles quickly. That capitalism which has made this area
and our country so great dwindles quickly because we don't have a consumer that can afford to buy and we don't have a talented workforce that's educated. And that's how that model works. And that's our moral obligation right there. The achievement gaps. This is where it is very uncomfortable.
If I were to show that graph of our subgroups, it would be even more tragic. We have to change that narrative. 80% of our schools in this district are black and brown children. And those
rates are worse than what we saw up there. This is our moral obligation. And finally, we have to give students the opportunity to make the choice themselves. Not us choosing, not adults, not educators, but when they leave us,
they are equipped to go to college, go to training, go to the military, and it's their choice, not our choice. We have to make sure they're equipped to do whatever they feel necessary to do. Again, if we do not act now, we're going
to miss this window of opportunity. The core challenges are very simple. They're obviously in the packet for most of you, but I think we need to get to the meat of this. But we have to understand the alignment of structures, routines, decisions, rights of
improvement have to be specific, consistent, clear, and well-intentioned for students, for children. We cannot have accountability without support. The worst place to put someone is give them the responsibility
and not the authority or support. Chapter one of leadership. Do not give me the responsibility without the authority. We can't do that to teachers. We can't ask them to make great students without supporting them. being in the classrooms to help students
re-engage, keep our students in school, and not elevate to where they're suspended or even worse, arrested. They learn in school, and we have to keep them there. This organizational structure will focus in on that, capturing children and making sure
they're focused on school and supporting teachers side by side with them. We have to decrease the operational aspects and especially the bureaucratic tasks that we've created over time. We have to be leaner. We have to be more crisp. And we
must we must do this. We can't afford to lose another student. And I don't mean from population here in our district for student population. I mean from able to have choices when they graduate from high school. I'm going to turn it over to Chief of Schools Deputy
Superintendent Dr. Daniel Ciz at this time. I've given him a time of 15 minutes to get this through. We've rehearsed it a few times. He was about 20 minutes. Uh you know what to do. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh good evening, President Garren, Board of Managers,
Superintendent Lacata. Uh I am u happy to stand before you this evening with a plan that really focuses on improving the quality of instruction for all students. As Dr. Lacata has uh just outlined for us the work is urgent and
our focus collectively must be on closing student achievement gaps and improving student outcomes for all students in our district. In order for us to accomplish that task, we are resetting and reorganizing how we are structured in the school leadership
office. Uh we will be moving to a regional structure. uh you met the regional chiefs um earlier this uh this evening that will be leading the work w within each region. Dr. Lacata himself has uh had immense experience uh leading
regions in his lead school leadership experience as a district leader uh and has done so as an area superintendent. So is very familiar with this work in terms of instruction and school operations and them living in two separate arenas. The goal in this
structure is to ensure that every executive director of instructional leadership who will serve as the principal supervisor is an instructional leader, instructionally focused and really helping the principal strengthen
their acumen in improving the quality of instruction in every classroom while at the same time establishing in every region a support structure. executive directors of school operations who are charged with keeping tasks and
responsibilities, uh, things that get into the minutia of school business off the plate of the principal to the fullest extent possible. and really having the central office work as a service center so principles can stay focused on the main thing which is
improving the quality of the instruction for all students uh and making sure that we're yielding higher accelerated student outcomes for students. >> So could could you go back to that slide? I don't know if people can read
that slide. The type is so small. would you just please go down the uh >> absolutely >> column on the left and and highlight the the names and the positions on that? >> So um the very top myself deputy superintendent who reports to the superintendent uh of schools uh the the
regional chief in each region will report directly to me. Uh the regional chief is the instructional leader for each region. they will directly supervise the principal supervisors uh executive directors of instructional leadership. The executive directors of
instructional leadership are on the left side of this org in in the shade of blue. On the red side of the right side of the uh org are our executive directors of school operations. The executive directors of school operations
work crossf functionally with central office teams who are who will be deployed into each region. So you can see on the um horizontal red boxes director of HR sped compliance IT uh
facilities maintenance operations. Uh these teams will be working crossf functionally to make sure that we are responsive to school needs in real time and take care of uh tasks or issues that the principles encounter dayto-day so
they can remain focused on instruction. Again we uh did introductions of the regional chiefs uh this evening. These will be the the four regional chiefs leading each of the regions. Uh there are three geographic regions uh south, central and north and then of course one
regional chief for the elevate network and the elevate network of schools. Our goal and our instructional expectations is to really live in a in a system where we have pride in the uh
quality of of instruction across all schools in our district. one district, one standard, every classroom regardless of uh accountability rating. We want to make sure that we are seeing uh what we know yield high student outcomes. And so
we will be implementing standard instructional expectations across all schools. Uh those standards are bulleted out on this slide, but they can really be summed up in the very first bullet,
which is engaging grade level bell-to-bell instruction for all students in every classroom. Uh everything else under that uh one bullet are uh instructional strategies and things that we want to see in the classroom to make sure that we are
protecting instructional time for students but also being very purposeful in our execution of instruction and making sure that we are really tracking that uh all students are moving toward mastery of our learning objectives and
uh are getting closer to proficiency. uh paying attention to achievement gaps and being very purposeful in closing those gaps throughout all of our schools. So that would be these bulleted list of instructional expectations are instructional expectations you would see
in every school throughout the system. I do want to uh acknowledge uh Elevate and the Elevate network and talk about the Elevate network of school and really the path forward for our schools that have been underperforming historically
underperforming. And um the Elevate Network will be the path forward for our schools that have been persistently underperforming. And I want to start by sharing how schools become part of that Elevate network.
First of all, the criteria it was uh really three parts. You had to have an overall DNF rating and an F rating in domain one, which is our student achievement dom domain and a 70 or below
in domain three, which is our closing the gaps domain. Looking at the achievement gaps in our schools and making sure that we are purposefully uh closing those gaps. So, the Elevate Network takes two puzzle
pieces and puts them together. our Fort Worth ISD instructional expectations, which that list was just uh on the screen uh a little bit ago, and a non-negotiable instructional model that is really about providing support for
our teachers in the classroom, our principles, uh leading instruction in all of our buildings, and making sure that when you put those two pieces together, you get accelerated improvements in student achievement.
So in our elevate model we are really focused on three components support structure and resources. As we look at why or what elevate is and why we are
implementing elevate in our district the the elevate model ensures that we are coaching and supporting that is the number one uh aspect of elevate. We want our executive directors in the Elevate network to be strong instructional
coaches for our principles who in turn are the instructional coaches for our teachers in the classroom. They are charged with giving more consistent instructional expectations and assisting in the implementation of instructional expectations. And then of course uh
faster responses when student needs arise, academic needs, making sure that we are addressing those academic needs in real time in the classroom. And I will share with you in just a moment how that will look in the instructional delivery. Again, the purpose is to
ensure that we are addressing persistent academic underperformance support in building strong teaching skills in every teacher in every classroom. uh establishing that consistent execution of the instructional delivery and then making
sure that we are increasing our instructional supports and resources for our students. The instructional delivery looks like this. It's really two parts. In Elevate, you have highquality first instruction, the initial direct
instruction that students receive in a classroom. That initial first instruction is followed by what we call a demonstration of learning or a DO based on student mastery. If a student masterers the DO, meaning that they've
they've answered the supermaajority of questions correctly, there are they will be pulled out into what we are calling a mastery lab for acceleration or enrichment, something to increase the rigor because they've already demonstrated that they've mastered the learning objective. If a student does
not master the learning objective, they will stay in the classroom and get second teach a second opportunity for uh students to master that learning objective directly from the teacher. So the teacher will do real time reteach
using the do data so it's wellinformed a second teach to target a specific concept to close that misunderstanding and get all students in real time to independent mastery. The instructional model and delivery in elevate are really
those two parts. The first part in red and then the second part in blue for second teach. There are some unique components to elevate that I want to call out. Uh resident teachers are part of a the elevate model. Resident teachers are
teachers in training. They are working alongside our teachers in the classroom. They are attending PLC's. They're planning side by side with teachers. They are really working in partnership to enhance that learning environment.
Should a teacher be absent, uh they are also serving as the substitute for that teacher. So the purpose of this particular role is to ensure that there's continuity in instruction and support uh throughout the instructional environment and and and the school.
There are also learning facilitators who also support the learning in each classroom. Learning facilitators are also the the leaders of the mastery lab. So when students have demonstrated mastery of the DO and they go to the mastery lab, there will be a learning
facilitator in that room ready to receive those students and to support the enrichment activity to uh to help the students along in their mastery. Uh and then of course the mastery lab is a unique concept to Elevate. Standardized classroom setups throughout making sure
that we uh have continuity throughout the elevate network in what all of our classrooms look like and then higher compensation is a very unique part of our Elevate model. Uh we will be aligning all Elevate schools to the ACE
salary schedule which has been published and so significant higher compensation for teachers wanting to join the Elevate network and then additional day school year or ADSY as you may know uh know it as uh an acronym ADSY summer. So, we
will have all Elevate schools, all 19 of those Elevate schools will run through the month of June uh in June of 2027, starting in June 2027. I want to go back here. Here are the list of the 19 schools of note. Please
note that there are six of the 19 that were ACE schools. the former administration and board brought um those six schools to uh the board for reconstitution and uh support of the of the ACE process. We are adding 13
schools to this elevate network and those schools are listed on your screen. I want to show this heat map of the uh elevate network and where these schools are located and and really the purpose of this map here is to show that there
are um not really a concentration of schools that are failing. rather there these schools were scattered throughout our district and so creating an elevate network of schools where uh executive directors and the regional chief are supporting in multiple regions was
really the best option rather than uh putting them in a geographic region or by feeder pattern. Our next steps here is uh starting the reconstitution process for the 13 elevate schools. Uh impacted staff will
receive notification this evening pending board of manager approval with retention information based on their teaching roles. Uh their teaching roles are bucketed into three different tiers here. Critical needs teachers which include special education, emergent
bilingual, uh core teachers and then our elective teachers. Uh we have also established Dr. Lacata has has been very purposeful in making sure we are providing every opportunity for staff to secure employment as soon as possible. That is why we are doing this process
now which was earlier than planned because Dr. Lacata has been very uh purposeful in giving all of our staff ample notice and opportunity to secure employment for the 202627 school year. Therefore, we are having internal hiring
fairs for internal candidates only starting this Saturday and next Saturday. If staff apply, uh once they get their their um email this evening, when staff apply, if they apply by Friday, they will have an answer from
our teams by Friday. And so we are working urgently behind the scenes to make sure that our staff have all of the information they need so they can plan for their own futures uh and preferably stay here in Fort Worth ISD. That is the
goal and we're going to create our systems to foster that from happening for happening. And then of course principal selections will be communicated uh by May 1st. I want to pause here for any questions
may have. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Ciz. Do members of the board have questions? Uh, Mr. Po. >> Uh, thank you, Dr. Cles. That's a great presentation. Could you talk a little more about the uh impact you expect from
separating the operational aspects from the instructional aspects of the role? >> Thank you for Thank you for that question. Um the impact I expect is that our our instructional leaders, our principles and our executive directors of instruction will actually be able to spend the vast majority of their time in
instruction. Uh right now the way that our model, our our system is set up, our district is set up is that our executive directors or our principal supervisors, they oversee both. They oversee instruction and they oversee support. Um, and if you've ever worked in a
school, you know the business of school takes over your time quite often. And so, uh, it is very challenging for us to stay very focused on instruction when you're having to juggle both worlds. uh in this new system, if a principal's HVAC system goes down, I heard HVAC
earlier this this afternoon or this evening, uh they will pick up the phone, call their executive director of school operations, and the executive director of school operations will work with their regional director to solve for the principal. The principal will go right
back to instruction and know that it is being handled by their executive director of school operations and keep instruction the main thing. Of course, the school operations team will keep the principal informed, but the point is is that they won't have to be the problem solver for all of the tasks that they
currently are responsible for right now. >> Could you help? Thank you. >> Could you speak to how that will address or improve student outcomes? >> Absolutely. So I think the challenge that we are solving here is making sure that our principles who have direct or
the direct coach to teachers uh in instruction and supporting instruction in planning and in the classroom. Uh the the challenge we're trying to solve is being able to keep everybody focused and and available to instruction and improving the quality of instruction
which will in turn uh yield higher student outcomes. That is the whole purpose of this reorganization is to yield accelerated student outcomes for every student uh in these schools uh in all of our schools which is why we're
not just uh rolling out a regional structure for Elevate. We are doing it throughout the entire system uh because we're going to keep the main thing the main thing. But in order for us to do that, we have to hit a reset on the org and make sure we have instruction and
folks who are taking care of the business of school for our principles. Uh the business of school never stops and so we have to be certain that we have the system in place and the people in place to to support our principles and our executive directors.
>> Just real quick followup on that. So much of the focus has been on the ACE campuses and the Elevate campuses. Will you repeat what you said just a moment ago that this organizational structure and talk about how that will be implemented across the entire district not just the elevate and ACE campuses?
>> Yes sir. So uh there are four region so we're talking about four distinct regions. Three are geographic uh north, central and south. One is a network of schools which would be elevate. And so in that Elevate region, the regional
chief Sean Joseph and his team will support all of the Elevate schools, but as I showed on the map just a little while ago, the Elevate schools are scattered throughout the entire district throughout the regions. And so the Elevate network will be supporting those
schools and then the North, Central, and South region will be supporting the non-elevate schools within each of their respective regions. >> I want to follow up with that. When we looked at the models of the successful stool schools versus the ones that crept
into or very near the elevate model, we realized there are some that could slip very quickly into it. We realize that it's not appropriate to just provide all that support and just the elevate model because there are so many schools that could creep back down into it and we want to make sure we're not missing
those students and those teachers and those schools. So that's why the consistency is going to be across the board. obviously an intense focus on our elevate schools, but you know, we have C schools that are just climbing just barely into that C range and we can't have them drop. So, we have to support
them as well. So, I know the Elevate region is important, but the other three uh regional chiefs, they have their work cut out for them as well. So, that's why we're not taking just one group. We are taking all of them that are important and making sure there's no slide across the board. >> Thank you, Dr. Lacata.
>> Dr. Questions, >> Mr. Walker. >> Yes. I've heard from teachers and parents alike uh with concerns about whether there's going to be force transfers from their current job to Elevate Schools or other schools in the district. Can you speak to whether the plan involves force transfers into
Elevate Schools or to other schools in the district? >> I I want to be very clear on behalf of Dr. Lacata that is not a philosophy. Force transfers is not a philosophy of this administration or our superintendent. um that is not an effective way to
improve instruction or to create a transformation model. Um force transfers will not help us at all. What we want to do is we want to set the structure in place, the elevate structure and incentivize educators who want to come
do this transformational work for historically underperforming schools. Uh that is on a voluntary basis. If the teacher is interested and wants to apply for an Elevate school, they are welcome to do that. But as far as there being a centralized process and forcing
effective teachers to go to Elevate, that will not be a practice in Fort Worth ISD. >> Thank you, Mr. Walford. We have other questions. >> I have a question. Thank you. Um, so I'm looking at these instructional expectations and this is, you know, from
a professional standpoint, very researchbased. Um but as you know very rigorous work. So what are you doing specifically to support those teachers in the classroom? >> Absolutely. So we are working on a very
rigorous intensive summer professional learning uh opportunity for our teachers specifically uh where they will receive very rigorous um professional learning opportunities for multiple days. And so I'll be working in partnership with all
of our departments to make sure that when our teachers return for the 2627 school year, they are receiving worldclass uh professional development. Uh that doesn't just stop start with our teachers, it actually starts with the principles. And so when they are returning, we are also planning several
days of uh very strong professional development. Um, coaching without support creates a culture of fear and that is not a culture we are going to have in our district and our superintendent has been very purposeful in making sure we have the resources at
our disposal to give that professional learning to our staff. would you like to introduce the person we have tasked this uh to u a speech last night I pulled her aside or last week in front of a school and I said there is a place for you just be patient we know what we need from you
and it's a very difficult job so do you want to introduce >> yes absolutely and and I want to start by saying there is some excellent talent in Fort Worth ISD and I'm very lucky to get to work with some of the outstanding talent we have already in our district uh we have a senior executive director
of leadership Leaders ship development who will be leading all of our professional learning for teachers, principles, executive directors and uh that position is being filled by Dr. Valencia Ry uh former executive director, soon to be senior executive
director of leadership development. >> Any other questions? >> Um yeah, sure. I have I have a question. I understand you you've spent um quite a bit of time over the last few weeks in classrooms and we hear a lot about coaching. Will you provide more details
on how you're going to um support those reinforce the principal as the instructional uh leader of the campus? >> Reinforcing the principal as the instructional leader at the campus starts with making sure that we have the appropriate professional development for
our principles. Many of our principles have been working in a system where they have become building managers. Um, and that's not no offense to a principal. That's just the result of the system. Um, when we don't have a system that really makes or or align to instruction,
we get those incremental changes which we're we've seen uh at scale here in our district. Um, that that's that doesn't work. And so really what we are trying to do is be very purposeful with our own leadership moves and our own leadership actions. When we have principal
meetings, we are doing instructional training. It's about instruction. It's about looking at data. It's about talking about the highest leverage leadership instructional moves. Um when we come together as a team, Dr. Lacata is always opening up with instruction
first. I am spending 95% of my time talking about improving the quality of instruction, trends we are seeing across our schools, trends that we're finding in the data, and then collaborating with the experts in the room, our principles in in a principal room, teachers at the
campus level, and making sure that we're working together to be instructional leaders first. We are here to improve student outcomes. That is why we exist. That is why Fort Worth ISD is uh going to be the greatest district in the state
of Texas and the nation. I can guarantee you that because we have incredible incredible instructional leaders already here that just need the system to align to prioritizing instruction first. When we do that combined with instructional
professional learning, we will be unstoppable. >> Other questions? I'd like to follow up on a couple of your your u answers to some of the questions from our board members. I want to thank all the board members for their
um excellent questions. when you talk about the teachers and you talked about professional development and and the coaching. Um could you also speak to the time that a teacher will have to teach
uh with the support you're going to give them that is going to free up more classroom time for them to teach as opposed to having to do other activities that that use up a lot of their precious time with with our kids. Planning time
is planning time and we are going to insist that teachers when given planning time which our master schedules will be designed in a way that insists that every day teachers have an opportunity to plan um that they are able to do just
that. focus on the instructional delivery and focus on making sure that what we're putting in front of kids is the best content to close uh achievement gaps and get students to independent mastery. The the focus will be in partnership with the academics team uh
using curriculum that is already curated for our teachers. So when they are in planning, they're doing less having to build out curriculum and content and more internalization and making sure that the execution of the curriculum,
the the instructional delivery is purposeful and going to move kids to independent mastery. Mhm. Follow up with uh how our PLC's will look consistently across the board where teachers are driving it but we do have leadership in those PLC's to make sure we have a
consistency across the board with teachers driving the PLC and not the leaders. >> That's right. Yes sir. uh PLC we will have a standardized PLC protocol professional learning community protocol to make sure that throughout our entire system we have really rich internalization process to master what I
was just stating the art of delivering instruction curriculum is the first piece of it and you have to have highquality instructional materials but teachers also have to have the time providing them those materials isn't good enough they also have to have the time to internalize those materials and
focus on the execution of instruction regarding the principles and support to principles which you answered uh to an earlier question. U when you were talking about the operations side I don't know if you can guesstimate how
much time a principal under the current system has to spend on administrative duties as opposed to supporting uh the educational model and the education of our our children. Could you speak to that and the amount of time you expect to be giving back to principles to to
use for academic uh in support of their teachers? I'm going to take this one. Um, as a principal of many years, uh, what ruined the the academic day was a bus that was coming in late and having to worry about it or a cafeteria that wasn't ready to serve our students or
just not a clean place for students or air conditioning to be on. And when that happened, I no longer became a principal for educational success. I became a building manager. And that is how we have to get away. So there were days I
spent most of my time as a very large high school and a very large middle school of just doing that, especially in an old campus when we were building one next to it. It took away from the classroom completely from my role as an educational leader. But I knew that that operational model was what it was. When
I be later became the regional superintendent over that very area where I taught and became uh principal, I started separating that out and making sure that my instructional superintendents were not just instructional but once the principal called them, they started doing it. It was sort of a deacto method, but it took
that time and you could spend hours as a principal uh steeped in just nonacademic situations. Well, when I listened to the Monig parent talk about the beginning of last school year, this model came to my mind and I I wondered how much time that
principal was able to spend on academics and it sounded like that he or she spent most of her time just um keeping the lights on. So, I have one one last question. And one of the things that I've I've heard in the education work
that I've done, I hear from so many uh policy leaders, including many of the schoolboard members uh that I've known over the years, and that's student mobility. And and what a challenge, particularly for our lower income kids. They're in one school for a third of the
year and another school for another third. And we have some schools that the mobility rate is up to 50%. Could you talk about how this curriculum model is going to help ensure that the children whose families are forced to move repeatedly, how this will benefit our
kids in those circumstances? >> Continuity in the instructional delivery and educational experience throughout Fort Worth ISD is is the goal. And when you are dealing with students who are mobile and could I was one of those
students by the way growing up um in South Texas going to multiple elementary schools. Uh I benefited in from a Texas public school through the continuity of instruction. So as I changed schools the instruct the the school was a different
school but the instructional delivery and and what I knew to be a norm in a classroom was standardized throughout the district. And so I was able to quickly adjust to an instructional environment that was different than my
previous elementary school, but the delivery was the same, the language was the same. How we engaged with our teachers and with our peers, that was the same. Um, and so that is the goal. One district, one standard in every classroom in Fort Worth ISD. um when you
when we have high levels of mobility throughout the district, that level of standardization um is is very helpful uh throughout our system and for our kids. Mhm. So for example, if a student transfers from Motting to um a middle meterbrook middle
school, that child will have the same the the curriculum on that same um when he moves from on March 3rd from um Monik to March 4th in Metobrook, he will be seeing the same curriculum that he left behind.
>> He will be seeing the same instructional delivery. The curriculum may vary slightly, but the the instructional delivery would be the same. For example, teacher might say at Monik, we're going to do a turn and talk partner A at the end of this 30 seconds, you should be able to tell your partner X, Y, or Z,
go. That will be happening also at Venbrook. It will that is the the instructional delivery continuity that we're talking about when we talk about student engagement, when we talk about uh writing, when we talk about making sure that we're doing everything we can
in the instructional environment to keep kids engaged. Kids will be comfortable. Our goal is to make sure kids are comfortable regardless of what school they're at, talking to their peers, talking to their teachers, talking to each other, and having that productive struggle with each other to get closer
to independent mastery. Um and then right now our curriculum is there is continuity throughout Fort Worth ISD in the curriculum that we are using and um so our students who are moving throughout our system are already experiencing uh that continuity.
>> Thank you for speaking to that. You over the last 15 years year after year after year our schools have identified that as one of the key issues that they face particularly meeting the needs of our our poorest children. So thank you. Are
there any other questions from our board members? If there are not, this concludes the presentations for the evening. I want to thank you Dr. Lacata and Dr. Cis and for the staff for for these reports. You're
leaning forward. You may have another comment. >> Spencer for her presentation and bringing >> Thank you, Miss Spencer. I'll make one commitment. Uh presentations going forward, we're going to have a bigger font size on the slides. Um,
and they'll be readable by 74 year old eyes. So, that'll be our standard. So, the time is 8:05 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. We'll now recess and reconvene for executive session as authorized by
chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code under sections 551.071, 0072, and 074. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Good morning. >> Morning. >> Good morning, Victor. >> So, it starts here. >> Yes, it starts here in the morning. We greet our kids. >> Good morning, Kaitlyn. >> Tel them in and they get their day
started. Good morning. >> This is a good opportunity for us to kind of mingle with the parents as well, so they're used to seeing us every morning. Kids don't want to be late. They want to tell their parents, "We want to be on time. We want We're missing school." >> Is being at school important for you? >> Yeah. >> How come?
>> Cuz I study health um reading and and writing. >> Good morning, girls. Are you ready to check attendance? >> Yes. >> Students are walking around with our community and partnerships, Miss Jenna Aila. >> We're going to make sure who's here and who's not. That way I can be able to call parents and see if we can get
students to get here before 10:00 a.m. Okay. >> Okay. I'm Kia and attendance matters to me. >> I'm Bridget and I'm serious about attendance. >> This year our kids were all about making sure that we are um exposing that attendance matters by either creating posters, even holding each other
accountable and passing as hey don't forget to be here tomorrow. Get here on time. >> Good morning Mr. Nava. >> Good morning. >> Is it a good time for attendance? >> Make it student driven. I think you need the kids buy in because teachers are teaching and absence bell doesn't ring until 10. So the kids are the ones kind
of tracking that in the morning. >> Hi Miss Sanchez, >> I'm here to check up who's absent. >> Okay, >> so I know something that's very popular with them is those social media platforms um after school hours where they're holding each other accountable and asking each other questions like where were you today?
>> Hey, have y'all seen Randy? >> No. >> Um we try to text him in the group chat. >> Yeah, he hasn't responded. It keeps them accountable. They all know, oh, if we're not there on time, Collia is going to come and see that I'm not there on time. >> I think students, they know that if they're here, there's going to be incentives. And so that's why they want
to be here. >> Oh, here we have a student here ready for a token. >> That is cool. What? So, what does that mean to you? >> That nobody is absent. >> You're going to see tokens outside their classroom and that means that the all the class is here and they were here on time. Who's absent today? >> Uh, in my group, nobody's absent.
>> Nobody. Okay, perfect. So, I'll call you right now. But, >> hi, good morning. I was calling to see why Salvador wasn't in school today. >> Attendance matters. Um, and not only to be here, but be here on time. Are you ready to start your day?
Wherever Pete has been, the kids win. Everywhere, every time, Pete's kids win. Under his leadership, our kids will win. Please join me in welcoming Pete Lacata,
one of our newest Texans, to Fort Worth, Texas. We're very excited be for being here. There's no question about it. This is an opportunity. It's an honor, but it's a responsibility. It's children. You are not a public educator if
children are the first thing you think of when you address anything regarding school related activities, education, classrooms, personnel, HR, rules, buses, health, food. It means we look at
children as a whole person. Fort Worth ISD is honored to welcome our teacher candidates from across our pipeline programs to our spring 2026 signing day. All of these seniors here will sign letters of intent to launch their teaching careers right here in Fort Worth ISD. These candidates
represent the very best of our teacher residency program and our bilingual teacher assistant program, two of our district's most innovative and impactful ways into the profession. You have an opportunity to change the world. Change the future of the world. Give me another
profession that can do that. You can. You have the opportunity to see children in front of you every single day and make their future brighter. >> From Texas Tech University, we have Ana Boss and Cassandra Garcia. Ana and Cassandra, please sign your letter of
intent. Being in the classroom every day has allowed me to build connections with students, to learn from the teachers, and to truly understand what it means to show up for the kids, how important these programs are to our schools, to support our students, and for our own
personal growth. >> And now we have Vanessa Flores and Leslie Bharin from Texas Wesland University. Vanessa and Leslie, please sign your letter of intent. >> I really enjoy working with children. I love them. I think they bring so much joy, not just into the classroom, but
into our lives. You know, as educators, >> we want you to stay here. We need you to stay here. And I'm going to even make it a little more guilt. The kids here need you to stay. Parents that are here, be proud of your children. They have chosen the best profession in the world.
>> We are proud of each of you and we are grateful that you have chosen Fort Worth ISD as a place where your journey begins. Fort Worth ISD is launching a bold new approach to learning through the ACE initiative, bringing higher
expectations, new ideas, and more opportunities for students to succeed at six district campuses. But what really powers ACE isn't a program. It's the people, the teachers and staff who show up every day ready to make a difference.
and be paid for it. ACE teachers can earn up to $100,000 with an extra $10,000 in stipens for coaching, bilingual, or special education roles. Key staff can also get these stipens. ACE campuses have 25 additional days for
fun enrichment, deeper learning, and focused support for students and staff. If you have at least 2 years of certified teaching experience by May of this year, have a strong professional track record, or are rated recognized or higher in the teacher incentive aotment,
then join us where students need you the most, and you are paid for the difference you make. Apply today. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat.
Oh. Oh. Oh. down. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Oh. Oh. Oh. Heat. Heat. Welcome to the 2026 campus teacher of the year celebration. Today it is one of the most exciting
days of the year. I believe every opportunity that we have to highlight and celebrate the work that each and every one of you do in our classrooms, we are here to celebrate and honor you on tonight. Some of our hardest workers in Fort Worth ISD. >> It is one of the only professions that can change the future. Think about that.
It is one of the only professions that can actually impact the future and it can impact the future of each child in their classroom. And good evening, campus teachers of the year. My name is Denise Carpenter and my name is Angelica Navaro.
>> And it is our pleasure to be here with you this evening to announce our finalist starting with elementary. The finalist is Jacqueline Bender. Our next elementary finalist is Alandre
de Leon Tjo, Alice Contras Elementary. Our third elementary finalist is Rachel Flores, West Cliff Elementary. >> Our next elementary finalist is Marina
MJ Mindetta, West Hanley Elementary. And our final elementary finalist is Louise Ortiz at South High Mount Elementary.
And now our secondary finalist. Our first finalist is Don Bronze of Pasco High School. >> Our next secondary finalist is Gina Fedino, TCC South FWIS Collegiate High
School. Our third secondary finalist is Francisco Rodriguez, Strickling Middle School. >> Our next secondary finalist is Katherine Smith, Monik Middle School. >> Our final secondary finalist is
Caitlyn York at the Leadership Academy at Leonard Middle School. You all are a shining example of what takes place in our classrooms each and every day and the impact that you have on our students across the district. Oh.
Hey. Hey. You take me higher. You take me higher. You take me higher. You take me higher. You take me higher. You take me higher. You take me higher. You take me higher.
Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The best is yet to come. The best is yet to come. The best is yet to come. The rest is yet to come.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The best is yet to fall. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. down. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Hey.
Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Roll me. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Down.
Heat. Heat. Do a berry. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Come on. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Building down Heat. Heat.
It's your last home. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Oh, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N.
Heat. Hey, Heat. back. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. in accordance with the open meetings law. >> Do you have this?
>> I do. Yeah, I do. Yeah. >> In accordance with the open meetings law, the board opened the meeting at 9:42 p.m. with a quorum present. recessed open session, convened executive session, adjourned executive
session, and now reconvened open I misspoke. Let me start over. In accordance with the open meetings law, the board opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m. with a quorum present, recessed open session, convened executive
session, adjourned executive session, and now reconvened open session at 9:42 p.m. with a quorum present. We now turn to the action items. First action item.
Uh the board, the administration has recommended no action on this. So we will um pass on item A. The administration has recommended no action on um the re recommendation
terminate certain probationary contract employees. So there'll be no action on that this evening. Item D, consider and possible action to resend the April 10, 2018 board resolution regarding Cesar Chavez. Is
there a motion concerning this item? >> Mr. President, I move to resend the April 10, 2018 board resolution regarding Cesar Chavez and to approve a resolution to suspend the celebration of Cesar Chavez Day and to honor the life
and legacy of the Lord Werta. >> Do we have a second? >> I second that motion. >> Second by Miss Perha. Is there any discussion? >> Mr. President, I have a comment. In light of the published allegations against Cesar
Chavez and following the cancellation of the annual Cesar Chavez Day celebrations, I listened to State Representative Ramon Romero's statement on the matter. I am indebted to Representative Romero for his leadership and wisdom important to
us pointing us toward a way forward on this matter when he said we can still say C. Yes, we can still talk talk about the reality of why even today it is still not safe for survivors to come forward,
speak out, not be afraid that they will be discredited and ignored. I offer this resolution for the future of our daughters, granddaughters, and for all those in the community who feel that they do not have a voice. CE means yes, we can listen.
Yes, we can believe you. Yes, we can respect you and you will not be discredited for speaking out or ignored. I offer this resolution to honor a courageous woman, the Lordes Werta, who spoke out for every woman who is a
survivor of sexual assault. The name Cesar Chavez may be removed from a school and his birthday may no longer be celebrated. But let me be clear, the fight for civil rights and justice for those in our community who
do not have a voice continues. And so we sh we shall continue to say cue. Mr. President, I offer the following resolution. Whereas on April 10th, 2018, the Fort Worth ISD board approved a resolution
regarding Cesar Chavez and designated the Monday prior to Cesar Chavez's birthday, March 31st, as a student holiday for all future student holidays. And whereas on March 18th, 2026, considering publicized allegations
against Cesar Chavez that he had sexually assaulted women and young girls, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, issued a statement that the state of Texas will not observe Cesar Chavez Day holiday and directed all agency heads to comply.
And whereas on March 23rd, 2026, the Texas Education Agency, the TEA, issued a statement and directive to all school districts related to the suspension of activities related to Cesar Chavez.
Whereas the Fort Worth Independent School District will comply with the TEA's directive to suspend activities related to the celebration of Cesar Chavez Day. Now, it is resolved that on April that the April 10th, 2018 resolution of the
Fort Worth ISD Board of Trustees authorizing and designating that Monday prior to the birthday of Cesar Chavez is March 31st as a student holiday for all future calendars BN is hereby suspended.
Now, it is further resolved that this action by the border managers is not to discredit the work done by many who sought to empower farm workers in their fight for civil rights and justice for the voiceless in our society.
It is now further resolved that this action by the border managers honors the life and legacy of Dolores Werta and her work furthers the fight for justice and supports creating an environment for all survivors of sexual assaults to be able
to come forward, be heard, respected and treated justly. >> Thank you, Mr. Galindo, we have a motion and we have a second. We will now move to voting. All in favor, vote yes. Any oppose, vote no.
You have the opportunity to abstain. Eight members present, eight voted yes. The motion is is passed. Yes. Now or have we we've concluded this resolution. >> You have concluded.
>> All right. All right. The next matter in front of us consider and possible action to approve a resolution declaring a reduction in force due to program change and identifying the employment area to be affected under board policy section D
personnel DFFB reduction in force program change local. Is there a motion concerning this item? Do I hear a motion? So moved and >> motion by Miss Lewis. Do we have a second?
>> Second. >> Second by Mr. Aier. Is there any discussion? Have questions of Dr. Lacata regarding this provision? I I will ask a question of Dr. Lacata.
Um could you explain for us the scope that this reduction in force will encompass? Um as I understand it, it's the Elevate campuses and the six closed closing schools. The schools that were
decided determined to be closed by the previous board. Uh could you speak to that? >> Sir, that is correct. We will be uh moving for the 13 elevate campuses as well as the six closed campuses and that
is the employee base that's affected by this motion. >> Any further questions? I'll ask another another question then if you could explain only on these 13 campuses plus the six
campuses that that are closing. One is this will not affect the other campuses. Uh an employee at an elevated campus uh may face a choice. Uh you could
determine perhaps that a firstear teacher is is not a good fit for an elevate campus, but that does not mean that teacher is ineligible to apply for a position somewhere else in the district. Is is that accurate? Um the
action we took for having this presented tonight is simply to allow our staff members a sufficient time for the internal job fairs this weekend and next week and so yes if they apply they'll be
noticed whether they qualify or whether they have other options and we will present those options in clear statement. I want to thank Mr. Brian P for meeting with me yesterday and we are established a really good relationship and we are going to continue doing that because I know he represents a lot of
folks and that's important that we get to hear that in our office in my office. So thank you sir you're in the audience but at this point we are talking about every option possible for our staff members that have come from those 13
plus six. Mhm. But again, in summary, this reduction in force resolution is for the elevate schools plus the six that were determined to be closed by uh the last school board. >> Yes. All right. Thank you, >> Mr. President. If I may, um just one
point of clarification on the number as identified in the board resolution. Um you are correct. It's the six campus closures, but there are the 19 elevate campuses listed in the resolution. So,
the program change applies to all of the campuses that are listed in the resolution. >> Okay. So, if Dr. Lacata, would you clarify that? Repeat what the council said as far as number of campuses. >> We're attempting to capture all those campuses that equal 19. So, we want to
make sure >> 19 campuses. All right. Thank you. Any other questions? We will now move to voting. All in favor, vote yes. Any opposed, vote no. We have one missing vote. Eight members
present, eight voted yes. Uh none voted no. The resolution passes unanimously. Consider item E. Are we Pardon me? One second. Let me pause for a moment. Consider and possible action to amend
board policy related to naming and renaming of district facilities. Is there a motion concerning this item? >> I make a motion. Okay, we have um Miss George move to amend board policy as further revised by
the administration to require that community input is solicited as part of the naming process. Um just to clarify and one of our presenters noted that the language in the resolution was may consult the
public and the language by this amendment is changed to Shell. Um do we have a second? >> Second. >> Is there any discussion? No discussion. We'll now move to voting.
All in favor vote I. Any opposed vote no. Eight present in voting. All voted I. No votes. The resolution passes unanimously. Item F, approve amendments to the 2025 2026 additional school days school year
calendar. Is there a motion concerning this item? >> So moved. >> We have a motion by Mr. Po. Do we have a second? I'll second. >> Have a second by Miss George. Is there
any discussion? We'll now move to voting. All in favor, vote I. Any oppose? Vote no. Eight present in voting. We have six, eight yeses and zero nos. The resolution passes unanimously. Okay.
Is there any other matter to come before the board this evening hearing? None. It is 9:55 p.m. I thank everybody for your participation tonight. Uh the presenters who were here and all the board members
and and the staff. It was a great pleasure to welcome the new staff members to this team, all committed to improving student outcomes. At 9:55, we are adjourned. Heat. Heat.