Fort Worth ISD names lone finalist for superintendent
Fort Worth ISD is moving forward with a new strategic plan aimed at improving lackluster reading scores. Here are its 4 main priorities.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Fort Worth ISD trustees have named the interim superintendent as the lone finalist for the permanent position.
The backstory:
The district has been operating under Interim Superintendent Karen Molinar since last October.
Molinar was selected by the trustees after Superintendent Angelica Ramsey resigned in September.
Ramsey resigned amid criticism over the district’s performance.
Featured
While she resigned as superintendent, she’ll still be employed with the district as the “ambassador for public relations” through September 1, 2025, while still receiving full benefits, according to the resignation agreement.
What they’re saying:
“Sometimes, our district and our city needs different styles of leadership, and now I feel like they are ready for mine,” said Molinar after Tuesday’s announcement. “Well, hopefully, they are ready because they voted. So hopefully everyone else is ready for me, but really that’s what it’s about. There’s timing, and this is the timing for me and also for our teachers and students and our parents.”
The Interim Fort Worth Superintendent admits changes need to be made in the district, and says it starts with students and teachers. She outlined her plan to improve student academic performance.
Dig deeper:
Molinar has been with Fort Worth ISD for more than 27 years, beginning as a teacher.
She’s made literacy a top priority and recently oversaw the development of a strategic plan to make improvements in that area.
What’s next:
The vote to name Molinar the finalist kickstarts a 21-day waiting period mandated by state law.
A final vote on Molinar is set for a special meeting on March 11.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Fort Worth ISD’s Tuesday board meeting and previous FOX 4 reporting.
All the news you need to know, every day
By clicking Sign Up, I confirm
that I have read and agree
to the Privacy Policy
and Terms of Service.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2025 FOX Television Stations
DAILY NEWSLETTER
Here’s how much Fort Worth ISD will have to pay its ousted superintendent to leave
Trending Now
A closer look at FWISD’s new literacy plan
The Brief
FWISD Interim Superintendent aims to close learning gaps
Texas Measles outbreak 2025: 58 cases across 5 counties in 3 weeks
Farmersville man with meth caught trying to steal ATM sentenced to 47 years
How to properly drip your faucets
Arlington charter school teacher, student engaged in inappropriate relationship for months, docs show
Neiman Marcus store in downtown Dallas to close
News
Weather
Sports
Good Day
Latest Episodes
About Us
Regional News
This site can’t be reached
The webpage at https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article300529129.html might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.
Fort Worth ISD school board to name next superintendent
Fort Worth Report
Free. Fair. Local.
Sign up for essential news for the Fort Worth area. Delivered to your inbox — completely free.
Who will be the next Fort Worth ISD superintendent?
What: Fort Worth ISD school board meeting. Read the agenda here.
When: 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18
Where: District Service Center, 7060 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Stream: Watch the meeting live on YouTube.
The school board intends to answer that question during its Feb. 18 meeting, according to a news release.
Only one person has publicly expressed interest in the job: Karen Molinar, a nearly three decade veteran of the district who has been serving as interim superintendent since October.
“I think and I know the students and the community need me right now,” Molinar told the Fort Worth Report during an October interview.
No other candidates are known at this time. Trustees discussed the search behind closed doors Feb. 11.
School board President Roxanne Martinez and Molinar did not immediately return a request for comment.
Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area.
Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free.
Molinar took over leading the district from Angélica Ramsey, whose two years as schools chief marked the shortest Fort Worth ISD superintendency in at least 50 years. She was previously the superintendent of Midland ISD in West Texas, where she served for one year and eight months.
Ramsey resigned in September after questions — including from Mayor Mattie Parker and more than 40 other community leaders — mounted about the effectiveness of her leadership and the district’s stagnant academic performance.
During a Fort Worth Report Candid Conversation in December, Molinar emphasized her familiarity with the school system.
“I know already what we need to do,” she said. “I know where to find it. I know what we need to replicate. I don’t have to spend a year doing a listening tour.”
The school board kicked off its superintendent search Jan. 21 when trustees agreed to post the vacant superintendent position for a 10-day period beginning Jan. 23.
The job posting outlined that the school board, which is in charge of hiring a superintendent, wanted a candidate with at least five years of successful leadership experience in a school district with more than 50,000 students; who had previously worked as an administrator, superintendent or interim superintendent and served as a school principal.
“The Fort Worth ISD board of trustees remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring strong and effective leadership for our district,” Martinez said in a statement after the job was posted online.
The search was the second for nearly all of the trustees with the exception of board members Tobi Jackson and Kevin Lynch. Jackson, who was elected in 2010, was part of the searches that hired Walter Dansby, Kent Scribner and Ramsey. The superintendent search is the first for Lynch, who was elected in 2023.
In 2022, Fort Worth ISD paid the third-party search firm Hazard, Young, Attea Associates $59,270 to find Ramsey. Trustees opted to not hire a search firm for Ramsey’s replacement.
Whomever is named as the lone finalist for superintendent won’t take over immediately. The school board and the finalist will have to wait a state-mandated 21 days before the hire is official.
Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
In “Education”
In “Education”
In “Education”
Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.
Republish This Story
Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details.
Jacob Sanchez is senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His work has appeared in the Temple Daily Telegram, The Texas Tribune and the Texas Observer. He is a graduate of St. Edward’s University…. More by Jacob Sanchez
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for Fort Worth Report. He can be reached at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or (503)-828-4063. Sgroi is a graduate of Texas Christian University and has worked… More by Matthew Sgroi
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 50216, Fort Worth, TX 76105
PHONE: 817.405.9318
EMAIL: hello@fortworthreport.org
NEWSLETTERS
DONATE
Media Kit
Merch shop
Privacy Policy
Our Mission
We pledge to produce high-quality objective local journalism that informs public decision-making, addresses the quality of life of our community’s citizens, holds our policymakers accountable and tells our readers’ stories by listening to them and making sure they are valued and understood. In all that we do, earning the trust and respect of our audience is paramount. Our reporting will be free to all who access our primary digital channels.
THIS SITE IS PROTECTED BY RECAPTCHA AND THE GOOGLE PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE APPLY.
