Fort Worth ISD employees gathered Wednesday for the district’s 2026 convocation as educators prepare for a school year under state-appointed leadership.
The event included music, lighting, entertainment, school bands, cheerleaders, presentations and performances. The gathering came as teachers and staff get ready to work with a new board of managers appointed after the Texas Education Agency took over the district in March.
The state intervention followed concerns about districtwide academic performance and five straight failing ratings at a campus that has since closed. The new board of managers and Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata have been assigned to improve student achievement before local control can resume.
Licata spoke to staff about anxiety, district culture and the changes ahead. Asked what success would mean, he pointed to academics and said, "We're all here because we wanna see students achieve." He also described success as something that would need to last and be shared by the employees involved.
The district has also been filling teacher positions after more than 1,000 employees have left since January through firings, retirements or resignations. Licata said Fort Worth ISD had 200 teacher openings when he arrived in May, and that the number had dropped to 20 by the end of July.
