133 impacted as Fort Worth ISD reveals more on staff reductions
FORT WORTH – The week concludes at Fort Worth Independent School District with 133 employees getting notice.
Superintendent Dr. Angelica Ramsey alerted employees that the cuts were coming this week. After spending more than three hours in executive session during a school meeting Tuesday night, the system's board hammered out a resolution to chop the positions.
"I hate that we had to take this action," Ramsey said. "So I'm never going to be satisfied at asking the board to make a program change."
Ramsey said the system faced a nearly $44 million shortfall next year. Salary, according to Ramsey, was only part of it.
One hundred twenty-nine cuts received federal funding. The remaining positions were financed locally, according to the district.
The board unanimously passed the resolution impacting the assistant superintendent of educational technology, director of IT project management, coordinator of IT project management, IT specialist project management, assessment data analysts, leadership academy network instructional specialists and freshman success coaches.
Ramsey said lack of funding from the federal government, state funding for Gov. Greg Abbott's School Choice Program and declining enrollment have hit the system hard.
"All of the growth that's happening in the city is not happening within the boundaries of Fort Worth ISD," Ramsey said.
Fewer students is an apparent problem for United Educators Association Executive Director Steven Poole.
"Parents are taking their kids elsewhere," Poole said. "Home school, private school, charter, and budgets are formed by the number of students that are enrolled."
Before the board decided, Poole called the cuts reactionary and a strategy lacking guidance for the district's future.
"Let's break that cycle and address the root cause – and that's student enrollment," Poole said. "Why are students leaving for these new schools? And what can we do to make sure they stay?"
FWISD said it is working to get those impacted employees into positions open in the district now. According to the school system, they are still trying to fill 200 teacher openings.