A diverse group of individuals, including nonprofit leaders, business executives, educators, and former elected officials, are vying for positions on the board of managers for Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). Many of these applicants are parents, with a significant number residing in the district, particularly on its western side.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is in the process of selecting members for the board that will oversee FWISD during a state takeover expected to last for a minimum of two years. A recent review revealed a total of 180 applicants who participated in mandatory governance training provided by the TEA. Out of these, eleven confirmed their applications to serve as managers, marking the first public acknowledgment of those interested in guiding the district, which serves nearly 70,000 students.
TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky indicated that the selection process is ongoing, with 196 individuals having attended at least one day of the training. However, the report did not disclose the identities of the remaining 16 attendees.
Tom Harris, an executive vice president at Hillwood, mentioned that the applicant pool has been narrowed down to 21 candidates, who recently participated in further training sessions. Harris, a public education advocate, expressed his motivation for applying stems from his involvement with the Mayor’s Council on Education & Workforce and his long-standing commitment to improving underperforming public schools in the area.
“I’ve been here for 36 years, and some of the public schools have been underperforming that whole time,” Harris noted, reflecting on his extensive collaboration with local school districts.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath is currently deliberating the appointments to the board, with announcements expected in the coming weeks. The appointed managers will replace the nine locally elected trustees and will wield significant authority over policies, budgets, and property tax rates, all aimed at fostering substantial academic improvements in response to the district’s previous struggles.
Another applicant, Curtis Mahanay, a Fort Worth resident and former budget manager for St. Paul Public Schools in Minnesota, highlighted the need for a cohesive approach to budgeting, staffing, and student needs during the transition. Although he did not progress in the selection process, he emphasized the importance of aligning these elements for effective district leadership.
“Effective district leadership requires integrating finance, staffing, and student priorities,” Mahanay stated. “Governance is necessary but not sufficient.”
Despite the appointment of new managers, elected trustees will remain in place as figureheads, with their positions still subject to voter elections in the near future. The TEA has faced scrutiny regarding transparency, as requests for nearly 300 applications and related communications were denied under the premise of an ongoing audit tied to the FWISD takeover.
Joe Larsen, a Dallas attorney specializing in public-information disputes, expressed concern over this interpretation, noting that he has never encountered applications for appointed officials categorized as audit working papers.
“The whole point of a takeover is to restore public confidence,” Larsen remarked. “The only way you do that is by bringing the public on board.”
A significant number of applicants are local residents, with 112 living within FWISD boundaries, particularly in the west and southwest areas of Fort Worth. Community members like Dainer Williams advocate for board members to represent the district’s diverse population and lead with empathy and transparency, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance academic outcomes.
“I teach kids in my youth ministry, and a lot of them can’t read or write,” Williams stated. “We got to get on our grind.”
Similarly, Adrienne Haynes, a district mother, called for managers who are not only diverse but also able to connect deeply with the communities they serve. “They need to be able to connect with our children’s needs,” she affirmed.
